A fit, retired drama teacher in her mid fifties, Jane shares the household financial decision-making with her husband.

Generally these decisions are made without the use of an advisor, admitting that she has not found one who she feels has her best interests at heart. “I expect more individualized service from an advisor.”

Jane is one of the lucky ones. She does not have to worry if she and her husband will run out of money during retirement.

“We have enough money available without spending the principal. I am not worried about anything; I spend freely.”

As is frequently the case, Jane and her husband inherited some assets, which included stocks. Because stocks had never been of interest to them, subsequently, they never managed those investments on their own.

“We felt we needed some professional help with our stocks, in order to ensure our 12 year old son’s future. We paid a stock broker, and watched our investments go down and down.”

This experience cemented Jane and her husband firmly in the world of the self-directed investor.

Because a major financial goal is to leave a significant amount of money to their children, they turned to what they consider to be safer investments. “Investments we felt we could make ourselves.”

“We feel more comfortable with our assets in real estate and antiques-things we can see, touch.”

Jane’s distrust of advisors came from her past experiences, where she felt her broker was pushing certain funds or stocks. “I could tell I was not getting individual attention or that he was merely seeking a commission.”Although Jane and her husband claim to have no “financial worries”, Jane still considers their family not entirely prepared for retirement. “One thing I am threatened by is terrorism, because I have no control over it. It is the unexpected which keeps me up at night. I plan to be vigilant about our money in the next ten years.”That said, there are no plans to seek the advice of an advisor any time soon. “I need an advisor with an overall view of the world markets. Advisors today do not have the depth to see the big picture.”

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