The Independent Market Observer

The Role of Financial Planners: Lessons from Nashville

Posted by Brad McMillan, CFA®, CFP®

Find me on:

This entry was posted on Oct 4, 2017 2:05:27 PM

and tagged Commentary

Leave a comment

financial plannersYesterday, I was down in Nashville speaking at the Financial Planning Association’s national meeting. It was an interesting time! Speaking with the young man at the coffee shop, our conversation went something like this: “I’m from Alabama.” “How did you get here?” “Like everybody else, music.” Clearly, this is a one-industry town, from the convention center (the Music City Center) to the signs for the Grand Ole Opry.

Admittedly, I don’t know much about country music. But from what I understand, quite a bit focuses on hard times—working folks getting stuck with the kind of misfortune that happens every day but who keep going despite the pain. That old joke comes to mind: if you play a country record backwards, you get rehired, your girl comes back, the truck starts up, and the dog comes back to life. If you think about it, all of these things, and worse, happen to everyone—and we all need to get through them. Sometimes, it helps to know others face the same pain and have persevered. That’s what I understand about country.

The soundtrack of our lives

Given that, it makes sense that the financial planners are here. Our job, essentially, is to help people plan for—and get through—some of life’s toughest challenges. Most of us do it without guitars (although I know some terrific Commonwealth musicians), but the soundtrack of people’s lives is just the same.

It’s easy to get lost in the glitz and flash of Nashville. And here in the financial industry, we certainly have our high-profile people. But the core of both is the same: helping people get through the story of their lives and helping them keep going and do better. Just as with country music, there’s money and glitz. But the bones are about real people and real problems.

In many ways, we are in a boom. The market is at all-time highs, plus job growth and confidence are strong. Things are good. While we certainly have concerns, for many people the actual problems are those of success. It is easy to get excited about the market highs, the money we are making, and so forth.

Enjoy the good times, prepare for the bad

But the most important things to remember are that the good times will not always be there, that tough times are always not too far off (in one way or another), and that our job—indeed, the reason for our profession—is simply to plan to ride those out. To use the good times to prepare for the bad times.

That doesn’t sound all that exciting and, in the glitz of Nashville, maybe not that much fun. It is, however, what we do. 

This lesson was, frankly, not what I expected to take away from this trip. It is, however, a powerful takeaway for me and, I hope, for you. Indeed, I learned quite a bit during the Q&A session after my talk, much of which will no doubt show up in future posts. I always get a lot out of speaking with advisors, and this time was no exception. 


Subscribe via Email

Crash-Test Investing

Hot Topics



New Call-to-action

Conversations

Archives

see all

Subscribe


Disclosure

The information on this website is intended for informational/educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice, a solicitation, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or investment product. Please contact your financial professional for more information specific to your situation.

Certain sections of this commentary contain forward-looking statements that are based on our reasonable expectations, estimates, projections, and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Diversification does not assure a profit or protect against loss in declining markets.

The S&P 500 Index is a broad-based measurement of changes in stock market conditions based on the average performance of 500 widely held common stocks. All indices are unmanaged and investors cannot invest directly in an index.

The MSCI EAFE (Europe, Australia, Far East) Index is a free float‐adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the U.S. and Canada. The MSCI EAFE Index consists of 21 developed market country indices.

One basis point (bp) is equal to 1/100th of 1 percent, or 0.01 percent.

The VIX (CBOE Volatility Index) measures the market’s expectation of 30-day volatility across a wide range of S&P 500 options.

The forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio divides the current share price of the index by its estimated future earnings.

Third-party links are provided to you as a courtesy. We make no representation as to the completeness or accuracy of information provided on these websites. Information on such sites, including third-party links contained within, should not be construed as an endorsement or adoption by Commonwealth of any kind. You should consult with a financial advisor regarding your specific situation.

Member FINRASIPC

Please review our Terms of Use

Commonwealth Financial Network®