Quora Answer: Is It Worth It for a Novice Investor to Consult a Financial Consultant?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “For the novice investor, is it worth consulting a financial consultant?” 

If you are a novice, all the more you should consult a financial consultant.  Even accredited investors have several financial consultants, let alone someone who is new to finance.  Without a financial consultant, many products and instruments are not available to you, since you would be unable to fulfill the requirements and compliance to partake in them.  Having a good financial consultant mitigates your risk, and allows you a reliable source of knowledge on what you must decide before putting your money anywhere, from financial goals, to investment horizon to risk appetite.  Based on this and the financial health review, the financial consultant would recommend suitable products and instruments, and how to structure them in your portfolio.  This mitigates your risk, and lowers the odds of you losing most of your money at the first try.