In today's world, proper financial planning is more important than ever!

With increasingly complex financial markets, longer life expectancies and uncertainty about Social Security and long-term health care coverage, choosing the right investments could play a critical role in helping to secure your financial future.

With more than 10,000 different investments and funds to choose from, one of the most important decisions you can make about your future is to seek the advice of a qualified investment professional.

Studies by various financial services research organization, show that using a professional investment advisor may help you achieve your financial goals.

The studies found that investors who purchased equity and fixed-income funds through professional investment advisors achieved higher returns than those who purchased funds on their own.

According to the studies, investors who paid a sales load were more likely to hold onto their investments during periods of market decline - by an average of 1.3 years more than investors who did not seek advice or purchased a no load fund.

Investors who stayed invested longer enhanced their ability to increase their long-term returns, versus investors who changed their investments more frequently.

It is your financial professional's business to get to know who you are and what you want to achieve with your investments. Whether you're investing toward a secure retirement, starting a college savings plan for a child, or simply interested in accumulating additional assets for future needs, it's your financial professional's job to help you clearly define both your short- and long-term goals.

After identifying your goals, you and your financial advisor will be able to create a plan that suits your needs, your risk tolerance and your time horizon, putting you in a better position to achieve these goals.

One of the most important steps to achieving any goal is to develop a plan.

When investing toward financial goals, an important part of your plan will be to diversify your assets among stocks, bonds, short-term investments and possibly foreign securities.

Based on your needs, your financial professional can develop an asset allocation strategy that can help lower your overall risk by increasing your exposure to a greater number of investment opportunities.

Once you've determined the best way to allocate your assets, you still have the important task of selecting the right investments for your portfolio.

With thousands of investments to choose from, finding the right one, or combination of investments, can have a significant impact on your degree of success.

Your financial advisor has the knowledge and resources necessary to help you find the investments that best suit your needs.

The benefits of working with a financial professional don't end with your first investment!

Your financial professional can answer any questions about your investments, provide guidance during periods of market volatility and monitor your progress and make any necessary adjustments as your needs change.