Financial/retirement expert Thomas J. Drongoski: Why see a financial advisor?

Investing for your future is important — but it can be challenging. Fortunately, you don’t have to go it alone. A financial advisor can help you in several ways.

First, a financial advisor can help you develop a long-term financial strategy based on your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon. And your advisor can review your strategy regularly to determine what adjustments should be made, either due to changing financial markets or changes in your own life.

Also, an advisor can help you avoid costly investment mistakes, such as trying to “time” the market by always seeking the lowest point to buy and the highest to sell. Such a strategy is almost impossible to follow because no one can really predict these highs and lows.

Another way a financial advisor can help you is by measuring your progress toward your goals. Many people assume they should just check their portfolio’s performance against a market index, such as the S&P 500, but a financial professional can employ more personalized benchmarks.

Investing for your future can be exciting and rewarding — and you can feel more confident in your decisions when you have someone helping you along the way.

This content was provided by Edward Jones for use by Thomas J. Drongoski, your Edward Jones financial advisor at 973-948-9700.