From our archive. This article was published on 22 April 2020. Rules and amounts may have changed since.
We all have family, friends, acquaintances or, for example, colleagues around us, which is a very good thing. People who are only too happy to shower us with their good advice and knowledge. But is this advice always equally good? Is the knowledge still up to date, and is everything you hear from your advisers actually correct?
In life you are constantly facing enormous challenges. For everything you still have to go through, your life events, you will often need a listening ear, someone who also gives you advice so that you can make the right decisions. That is certainly no different today, quite the opposite. A crisis can change your financial situation quickly, and the consequences can linger for a long time. How do you deal with this? Whose advice do you accept, and who do you listen to when it comes to important decisions in your life?
At the life moments that follow, a good adviser is definitely essential. An adviser to support you, guide you or coach you. Advisers with the necessary expertise to give a rational judgement on your situation and your challenge, and to advise you on the best path for you to take.
So think carefully about the difference between someone who gives you advice out of a relationship or emotional bond and someone who can advise you on the basis of their expertise.
A few concrete examples:
“A father who gives his daughter advice on what ‘the best loan today’ is, because ‘in our day’ that was also the best...”
“A friend who gives you divorce advice, but knows nothing about legal matters himself, let alone is able to assess your specific (financial) situation, but ‘he’s been through it too’ and will surely tell you how best to go about it...”
“A friend who is an interior architect and suddenly presents herself as ‘the person who knows everything about valuations’ of property, and gives you advice on the right purchase price...”
Do you have life questions you would like good advice on? Would you like to speak to an expert? Then get in touch with Het Financieel Huis. We will gladly put you in touch with the right partners affiliated with us. We are happy to give you more information and can help you put your plans into practice.