If you had a toothache: partner with experts to care for your financial health.

• Author: Zesiger, Jeff
• Position: Money Talk

Today, one can access a flood of information with the simple click of a button. With countless resources available, it's no wonder that the do-it-yourself approach is increasingly popular. However, popularity doesn't always ensure that you'll end up with the best results. For example, access to WebMD doesn't make you a physician or even an expert in medicine. If you had a toothache, wouldn't you go see a dentist?

Just as you would never make serious medical decisions without consulting a professional, you should care for your financial health in much the same way--with the appropriate professionals by your side. The world of finance is complex, probabilities are often stacked against you, and the risks can be your entire financial future!

So when it comes to something as important as your finances, it makes sense to hire an advisor, someone who can provide you with expertise and the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your money is well cared for.

A professional toolbox

Attempting to invest on your own can be difficult, time-consuming and emotionally exhausting. Most don't have the skills or disposition to manage their own investments.

Even for those who do, it may not be a wise decision. In today's world of global markets and complex financial instruments, professionals have access to superior resources. It is difficult for an individual to effectively create and maintain a portfolio that is properly diversified, minimizes fees and taxes, and avoids overlapping assets. In addition, the ongoing portfolio monitoring and maintenance of your desired risk exposure can be challenging and even overwhelming without access to the tools used by competent advisors.

Also, when it comes to investing, our instincts often become our worst enemies. For those who have ever invested using the "rearview mirror approach" (buying after something has already performed well) or sold an investment simply because it lost value, congratulations-you're normal! Unfortunately, being normal won't likely produce the results required to achieve your goals.

Dalbar, a financial research company, measures these effects by comparing potential versus realized returns achieved by individual investors. According to its 2015 study, the average investor underperformed the return of their own mutual fund investments over a 5, 10, 20 and even 30-year time period.

How can investors make less than the fund they're invested in? Dalbar noted that most investors buy after prices...