1) Choosing investments without expert advice is like navigating a financial maze without a guide. Financial products have different risk levels, liquidity, and performance over different time periods. 2) There is no single "best" investment, as the right mix depends on individual goals, timelines, existing holdings, income, and risk tolerance. An advisor needs to understand both financial products and the individual client's specific situation. 3) Even seemingly safe investments like gold, real estate, and bank products have risks. A knowledgeable advisor can design a customized portfolio to protect clients from downturns while pursuing returns appropriate for their needs and capacity. Expert guidance is needed to navigate complex financial decisions.

1. MARKETING MANAGEMENT FOR LIFE INSURANCE AGENTS
PART- 9
(TARGET MARKETING- POSITIONING)
“WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL GROWS BIGGER, HE BECOMES AN ORGANISATION”
POSITIONING SELF “EVOKING A SENSE OF REPAYMENT”
Mr. Customer, let me explain why you will need a trustworthy expert advisor?
Reason 1
Look at the maze of financial instruments available in the market. How can any customer
possibly select the right product for himself, without the support of a learned financial
advisor?
Look at the nature of financial instruments. Some products carry high risk in short term,
whereas the same might be a safe bet in a longer term. Some products are highly liquid,
you can very quickly and easily encash them, while some are very rigid, offer less or no
liquidity. The various cycles of economies have triggered performance of some
instruments in short term, while holding long term some other have given unimaginable
yields.
Frequently i get asked “What is the best investment?”
In fact there is nothing called as best investment. It is in a mix and there is no standard
mix. You will need someone who understands the financial products and also understands
you to create the right mix for you.
To teach Johnny English, the teacher must know English and must also know Johnny. A
doctor to give the right medicine to Tom must know medicine and also Tom.
I was listening to a phone-in investor program on a FM radio. A investor called and asked
an investment he had made in Mutual Fund expecting good returns but in the last 18
months since he had invested, there is no growth, and should he continue to hold it or
should he quit now. The reply given to him was, that the fund he is mentioning is investing
in “a particular sector” and there is no scope of its growth, he had made a wrong selection
and therefore he must quit immediately and invest in some other fund.
The person who is advising, does not know the age of the investor; does not know when
he will require the money back; does not know if any major goals are to be fulfilled in the
next two years; does not know what other investments the person is holding; does not
know if the person is in business or is being employed earning some regular income; how
on Earth can anybody give a correct advise without knowing some of these details?
But we have seen such type of advises being offered and also being accepted heartily. For
many people are of the opinion that the one which gives (promises to give) the highest
return is the best investment.

2. The more the person matures in the financial services industry the more he will realise that
there is nothing called as the best investment, it is only in a mix that the client wins and
also that there can not be any standard mix.
What is this MIX? Any investment has three dimensions a) Safety b) Liquidity and c) Yield.
There are other aspects of an asset 1) How transparent is the price 2) How granular is that
asset? 3) How easily can it be transferred to others.
If in a triangle with three sides being a,b and c, if any one of the side is altered, then it will
affect any one of the other sides or both the remaining sides. Therefore what is the best for
a client can be designed only by an advisor who is aware about all the three sides of
various assets and also is sensitive to the clients needs and capacity.
There are two aspects of the client I mentioned here 1) Needs and 2) Capacity. Some
people who feel they need high returns may not have holding capacity to get that yield.
They will be exposed to double danger in a short term less returns and loss of capital as
well.
There are times when Gold prices have shocked investors across the Globe. There are
times when real estate prices have crashed leaving people gaping wide in disbelief. There
are times when stocks have done this. The present crisis the globe is facing has been
triggered primarily from the Debt instruments, banking products, which are normally
considered to be the safest bets. But an investor who has taken advise from a good
advisor has been protected from these shocks and some have even benefited hugely
during those bad times.
You need a good advisor who know the financial instruments and also knows you
well to design the right mix for you