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Anyone in the field is going to say yes to using a broker, but it’s pretty much true. Investing is tricky and time-consuming, so you need help even if you don’t turn over your portfolio to a planner and check in yearly. “By going through a professional, you'll learn the basics and be pointed in the right direction to enable you to make educated decisions,” says Lisa Sherman, a CFP at Gilman + Ciocia, Inc. in New City, New York. You probably think you’re pretty financially savvy on your own, and you could be right, but even the best of us need guidance. The average investor thinks he should pull out of the market when it’s down and get back in as it starts to rise. Do you agree? If so, get help. Any good planner would say the opposite.

-- Alonna Friedman

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