8. When You Need Help

In the previous chapters, I've shown easy ways that you can set up your finances, invest for retirement, and buy insurance on your own.

But many people long for a little hand-holding when it comes to finances. And there's nothing wrong with that.

In fact, there are some areas of your finances—taxes and estate planning in particular—where professional help can be indispensable. This chapter discusses when you need a pro in these areas and how to find one.

Professional help also comes in handy when you want a second opinion on your investment portfolio or a review of your overall financial situation to make sure that you're on the right track and haven't missed anything important. As you approach retirement, such a review becomes absolutely essential, since many of the decisions you'll be facing—when to take Social Security, how to tap your retirement funds, whether to buy long-term care insurance—are irreversible, easy to mess up, and best made with a financial planner's input.