If the terms "financial planner" and "investment manager" seem interchangeable to you, you're not alone. Many people -- even financial professionals -- have a hard time differentiating. To truly maximize your financial well-being, it's important to understand the difference.
Confusion is common because the terms don't just describe job titles; they also refer to distinct parts of an integrated financial process: financial planning and investment management.
Think about a house. When you build from scratch, you need an architect (who creates a detailed blueprint) and a builder (who executes in accordance with the plans). While their work is intimately connected, the architect and builder are attending to very different -- yet equally important -- parts of the "dream home" process.
- Am I currently saving enough to meet my retirement goals?
- How much house -- or car -- can I afford given my income and assets?
- When should I start taking Social Security?
When you engage in "investment management," you build on that financial plan by choosing the specific investments with which you'll construct your portfolio. Investment management involves:
- Selecting investments for purchase in areas such as the equity and/or fixed income markets
- Monitoring and rebalancing assets, ideally in accordance with a written investment policy
- statement
- Tax loss harvesting where appropriate
That's where's where the job titles can get confusing. Financial services professionals sport a wide array of them: financial planner, financial advisor, wealth manager, portfolio manager, money manager, investment manager, etc. Unlike the building profession, where the difference between an architect's duties and a builder's are crisply distinguished, the titles used in the financial services industry do not provide upfront definitions on who does financial planning and who does investment management. Some professionals will do both while others -- with the exact same titles -- are specialists. Consequently, it's easy to waste time and money engaging a financial professional to fulfill one duty when what you really need is the other!
What's an investor to do?
- Plan: Help clients align savings rates with retirement and other financial goals (or help clients determine how much they can comfortably spend per year if they are in retirement).
- Invest: Use Monte Carlo analysis to set an appropriate asset allocation in conjunction with an assessment of a client's willingness, ability and need to take risk -- and then invest in accordance with a written investment policy statement, using an "evidence-based" approach.
- Clarify: Assist clients as they work with other financial professionals (accountants, insurance agents, estate lawyers, etc.) through a process called financial life planning.
The bottom line. Whether you need an architect, a builder or both, understand that your needs are unique; due diligence is required to ensure no matter what their "title", you've found a professional who offers the financial services you really need. It's your hard-earned money and your future, and every question is worth asking.
This post originally appeared at MoneyZen.com. Photo credit Louis Leray]. For more MoneyZen in your life, follow Manisha on Twitter at @ManishaThakor, on Facebook at /ManishaThakor, or sign up to receive Manisha's MoneyZen blog via email by clicking here.