5 reasons to leave your robo-advisor and work with a real person

Robo-advisors have grown in popularity in the last 10 years, offering easy and inexpensive access to professional investment management with human interaction.  Firms like Vanguard, Betterment, Personal Capital, and Wealth Front use online tools and algorithms to build and manage your investment. These digital advisors attract new customers with cutting-edge technology, attractive websites, interactive features, low fees, and cool mobile apps. The rising adoption of robo-advisors and various digital platforms allows the financial industry to become more accessible and consumer-friendly.

Unlike traditional portfolio management firms, most robo-advisors offer their automated investing service with low or no account minimums. You will answer an online questionnaire. Your answers will place you in a specific risk tier group. As a result, the robo-advisor will invest your assets according to your risk profile. The typical digital advisor offers automated portfolio rebalancing and tax loss harvesting. Some may even offer you financial planning advice for an additional fee.

If you have read one of my Investment Ideas articles (here and here), you know that I am a big believer in FinTech, mobile payments, and digitization of the financial industry. The covid outbreak created a massive tailwind for this trend to continue in the next decade. You will experience a complete digital transformation in all aspects of your financial life.

With all that in mind, why someone like yourself will decide to abandon their digital advisor service? So here we go.

Receive personalized advice

Life changes. Often you will be at crossroads in your life trying to make important financial decisions. You will need to talk to someone who understands your situation and can give you personalized advice with your best interest in mind. Unfortunately, digital advisor services rarely, if never offer personalized advice. Algorithms cannot understand your emotions and feelings.

Surely, you can do the research and the hard lifting yourself. There is nothing more rewarding than reaping the benefits from your hard work. However, there is nothing wrong with asking for help. You do not have to do it alone. Working with a fiduciary financial advisor who understands your circumstances will save you time and grievance. Moreover, it will save you and make you money in the long run. And most importantly, it allows you to enjoy what matters most to you.

Build a relationship

Finding a good financial advisor is like finding a personal doctor or a hairstylist who cuts your hair just the way you wanted. Would you ask a robot to cut your hair? Then, why would you leave your wealth and retirement savings to an algorithm? Having a trusted relationship with a fiduciary financial advisor will give you access to objective, unbiased, and reliable financial advice when you need it most. Your financial advisor can point your financial blind spots and recommendations on how to resolve them before they escalate.

I frequently work with clients coming from large robo-advisors. Almost always, their biggest complaint is that they were not able to get answers to their questions. They were calling customer service, waiting in line, and speaking with a complete stranger on the other side.

Building wealth is a marathon, not a race. Why not working with a trusted partner who understands your unique needs and has your best interest in mind.

Invest with purpose

Have you asked yourself, does your investment portfolio represent your philosophy and values?

For many of you, investing is a way to make a meaningful impact on your favorite causes.

Furthermore, most robo-advisors offer a limited number of generic ETFs in various asset classes. However, they do not provide a way to customize your investments according to your core values.  The only you can achieve your purpose is through a customized investment portfolio that represents what you believe.

Impact Investing

Impact investing is about MAKING A DIFFERENCE. It is a philosophy that seeks to achieve sustainable long-term returns by investing in companies that create positive and measurable social, governance, and environmental impact. If you are an impact investor, your goal is to invest your money in areas that match your core beliefs and values.  By choosing the path of impact investing, you will provide the necessary support to address the world’s most urgent challenges in areas such as sustainable agriculture, clean energy, gender equality, social justice, food conservation, microfinance, and affordable access to housing, healthcare, and education.

Thematic investing

Thematic investing is a path to achieve higher long-term returns by investing in specific economic and secular trends caused by structural shifts in our society. It is about CHANGE. The thematic investing strategy relies on megatrends that are changing the way we live. Several of my favorite trends include climate change and renewable energy, 5G and cybersecurity, digital payments and e-commerce, blockchain and digital revolution, the rising power of women, and population growth.

Have a plan

Life is complicated.  As a result, your circumstances will change. You will start a new job, move to a new place. Start a family. Buy a new house. Exercise those stock options that you received when you started your last job. Above all, you must prepare for everything that life has to give.

Once you do the groundwork, it’s easier to update your plan than create a new one from scratch every time your life changes. Your plan will make you feel confident when making complex financial decisions about your future.

According to Vanguard itself, working with a financial advisor can bring you up to 3% average additional return. The advisor alpha comes from value-added services such as behavioral coaching, tax-smart investing, asset allocation, and rebalancing.

Get a customized tax strategy.

Let’s admit it. The US has one of the most complex tax systems in the world. We all get tangled with terms such as AMT, marginal tax bracket, capital gain tax, 401k, step-up basis, tax-deferred and exempt income. With the ever-rising budget deficit, there is no doubt that your taxes will only go higher. Paying taxes is part of life but managing your future tax bill is your responsibility.

One popular way to measure the efficiency of your tax strategy is your tax alpha. Tax Alpha is the ability to achieve an additional return on your investments by taking advantage of all available tax strategies as part of your comprehensive financial planning. Unlike robo-advisors,  our firm can offer a wider range of tax planning tools that can help you realize higher long-term after-tax returns.  For instance, for us, achieving Tax Alpha is a process that starts on day 1.  As a result, we will craft a comprehensive strategy that will maximize your financial outcome and lower your taxes in the long run.