I’m in my 30s. Should I pay for financial advice, or do it myself?

June 30, 2026 — 3:57pm

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My wife and I are in our mid-30s. We don’t have children. We have some savings, and one investment property. Beyond saving, we haven’t done much with our finances, and I’m thinking now is a good time to start. When is it worth hiring a financial advisor?

Let’s think about this on a spectrum from “fully outsourced” to “fully doing-it-yourself (DIY)”. Everyone sits somewhere on this spectrum – either you’re outsourcing everything, or you are doing everything yourself. Neither extreme is ideal – but where you sit on that spectrum will be an individual choice.

As a general rule of thumb – if you have less than $100,000 in total assets (meaning you add up your savings, investments, and superannuation – and no, your car or other possessions are not assets in this context), I don’t recommend hiring a financial advisor as a starting point.

At this stage, the cost of advice (which can range from $5000 – $15000 for a full plan) can feel hard to stomach. Much of the value they can add at this stage are things you can learn yourself with a little effort, at a fraction of the fees.

More importantly, there are things financial advisors aren’t well suited to helping you with. If you don’t have a basic........

© The Sydney Morning Herald