Financial Planners: Online vs. Brick-and-Mortar

My wife and I had been putting off getting a financial planner for at least a year. This was in keeping with our—OK, my—habit of delaying efforts on things that had a Limited Immediate Payoff and were generally considered Good for One’s Future. But after a second child and new jobs for both of us, it seemed time for someone to help us figure out what to do with our money.

I once worked at a personal-finance magazine, albeit writing more about how to spend than how to save, so I felt mildly knowledgeable about what people should do with their money. The gospel of financial planning is pretty commonsensical: Spend less than you earn; save for retirement before your kids’ college costs; invest in low-cost index funds from Vanguard and the like. Leave stockpicking to gamblers, etc.