The old adage is that you have to spend money to make money. But investors don’t actually spend money — they risk losing it in the hopes of compounding it.
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But for common retail investors, a relatively modest $210 expenditure might be the only risk-free investment they ever make — and certainly one with the potential to pay the greatest long-term dividends of all.
Invest in Guidance Before You Invest in the Markets
Considering the complexities and volatility of the stock, bond, crypto, housing and other investment markets, ordinary players might not know that they’re under-diversified, over-leveraged or facing a tax-related catastrophe until they find out the hard way — by suffering losses that they couldn’t afford and might have avoided.
Then, there’s the easy way: A meeting with a qualified, certified professional advisor who studies the markets, has earned prestigious certifications, participates in ongoing education and serves as a fiduciary with only your best interests in mind.
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Who Needs an Investment Advisor?
According to the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA), a Fortune 500 financial services organization, there are five primary signs that it might be time to invest in professional financial guidance:
- You’re worried about paying for college, changing jobs, starting a business, retiring comfortably, being overinsured or underinsured, affording children, caring for an aging parent, or any other nagging financial concern.
- You’re unclear on your financial goals or how to achieve them.
- Your tax burden is growing or becoming more complex.
- You’re losing money to emotional or impulsive investments.
- You want to enlist the help of a financial professional, but you think you can’t afford it.
The Low Cost of Getting Help vs. the High Cost of Going It Alone
The red-flag anxieties that call for professional guidance are not unfounded. For example, according to the TIAA:
- A professional can optimize your asset allocation, which alone can boost after-tax returns by 0.3% annually — that’s $1,500 on a $500,000 portfolio. Over two decades of compounding, that seemingly modest sum could pad your nest egg by more than $30,000.
- You would have missed more than 40% of the S&P 500’s gains over the past two decades by missing only the 10 best trading days during that time. A professional advisor can help you remove emotion and bias from your strategy, eliminating panic-selling and attempts to time the market, which contribute to missed opportunities.
It’s the final anxiety, however, that keeps most people from calling an advisor and scheduling an appointment: Not being able to afford professional guidance, and that’s the worst reason of all.
According to Harness Wealth, the average financial advisor — there are many specialties and certifications to choose from — charges between $120 and $300 an hour in 2025. The average of that range is $210.
While you might not want to part with that sum now, it’s a pittance compared to what you stand to gain from enlisting a pro and what you stand to lose by not making what might be the wisest investment of your financial life.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Best $210 To Spend To Maximize Your Investment Returns
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