Are Your Professionals Right For You?

This month in the Whole Life List we are documenting our financial and legal professionals.  It is one thing to know who they are and where they are, but how do you know how good they are?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself when thinking about your professional:

1.  Are they responsive?

When you contact your attorney, accountant or financial advisor, you should expect a call or an email back within 24 to 48 hours, even if it is just to say that they got your message and will respond when they can.  If you feel ghosted by your professional, they may not have the time or interest to take care of you well.

2. Do they communicate clearly?

There is a lot of jargon in the financial and legal worlds.  Your advisor should be able to explain things in terms that you can understand.  If you don’t understand something, ask, again and again, until you do understand.  The last thing you want is to make a decision or sign a document without really understanding the implications of it.  If your professional makes you feel small, judged, or like you are a pest, look for another professional.

3. Do they seem interested in your situation/case?

During COVID, we don’t have the benefit of meeting in person and being able to read non-verbal cues, however, you can tell by the conversation and the tone of voice whether someone is paying attention to you.  If your professional listens well and comes up with new ideas for how to resolve issues or move forward with your case, this is a good sign that they are interested in what they are doing and want to do a good job for you.  A professional who seems bored or too busy may not be right for you.

Keep in mind, however, that professionals are people, just like you and me.  Sometimes their lives get complicated and messy.  If you are not getting the service you expect, be kind when you complain.  Give the professional a safe space to acknowledge that they are not performing at their best and the opportunity to explain why.  You can then decide whether to stick with them or move on.

4. Are they properly licensed?  Do others think they are good at their job?  Are there any complaints against them?

There are a few resources you can use to see how your professional is rated or whether they are properly licensed. 

Attorneys:  Check out your state’s bar association website as well as consumer reviews on Avvo. 

Accountants:  Look up your state’s board of accountancy or CPAVerify. 

Enrolled Agents: Look up their status with the IRS here. 

Financial Advisors:  Look at BrokerCheck. Or the investor tool on the SEC‘s Investor.gov site.  

And of course, there are always Google and Yelp to provide consumer reviews.  It is important to not let one nasty review sway your opinion.  If there seems to be a pattern of people complaining about the same thing, then pay attention and investigate further.

5. Do you trust your professional?

Ultimately, you need to have professionals you trust and feel comfortable with.  If that is not the foundation of your relationship, look for a new professional. 

At Everyday Money Management, we have a large network of legal and financial professionals.  Please contact us if you need to find a professional to serve you.  If you are an accountant, attorney or financial advisor, we’d love to hear from you, too.  We often need to make referrals to our clients and getting to know our network helps us provide this valuable service.