I’m a Financial Advisor: Warren Buffett, Dave Ramsey and 4 More Experts I Always Listen To
Written by
Heather Taylor
Edited by
Gary Dudak
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Have you ever wondered which money experts‘ financial advisors follow? Some of these influential names may sound familiar, while others might be new to your radar and worth checking out.
GOBankingRates spoke to four financial advisors to learn more about which money experts they believe get money issues completely right. Here are the top names in finance they always listen to.
Warren Buffett
Bill Van Sant is the executive vice president and managing director at Girard, a Univest Wealth Division. Van Sant is a big fan of legendary investor Warren Buffett. He even has a favorite Buffett quote.
“‘To be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful’ resonates with me greatly,” said Van Sant. “At the end of the day, you will need to be greedy to maximize your returns. Understanding that balance can be a real challenge for some.”
According to Van Sant, Buffett’s decades of experience make his financial advice practical to the average investor. Van Sant uses the example of Buffett’s ideology of investing: buying stocks at a dip and being “greedy” when others are selling and scared. This can help you reap the benefits when those investments start to rebound.
Dave Ramsey
Several financial advisors GOBankingRates spoke to said they were fans of money expert Dave Ramsey. Financial planner Russell E. Gaiser III is a Dave Ramsey Master Financial Coach. At The Financial Guys, LLC, Gaiser teaches his clients Ramsey’s budgeting and debt elimination techniques.
“The principles [Ramsey] teaches can be implemented by everyone,” said Gaiser. “They are common sense and give clarity to the tactical side of money management and financial planning.”
Gaiser thinks Ramsey is completely right about these budget and debt elimination strategies. Everyone needs a budget and Gaiser believes a zero-based budget allows his clients to best utilize their excess cash flow to meet their goals. The same goes for Ramsey’s affinity for using debt snowball to pay off debt. Gaiser agrees with this approach and said it blends behavioral finance with a process that builds wins and momentum. Simply put, it just works.
Peter Lynch
Another legendary investor on our list is Peter Lynch, former manager of the Magellan Fund at Fidelity Investments. Financial advisor Roger Fishel recommends looking at Lynch’s tenure at Fidelity, and how he averaged 29% annualized returns, as a source of inspiration.
“He popularized the concept of investing in what you know and encouraged individual investors to research and invest in companies they understand,” said Fishel. “I agree with this philosophy wholeheartedly.”
Ramit Sethi
“I Will Teach You To Be Rich” author and financial expert Ramit Sethi is genuinely appreciated by R.J. Weiss.
What Weiss, a CFP and founder of the personal finance website The Ways to Wealth, respects the most about Sethi is the information he has been disseminating around the idea of communication between spouses regarding finances. Weiss said this is a significant issue many couples face and believes Sethi’s podcast and Netflix show provide a great framework for initiating more meaningful conversations about money.
Mitchell Baldridge
Looking for an emerging financial expert to follow? Weiss recommends CPA Mitchell Baldridge.
Weiss, who has been following Baldridge’s financial advice closely, said one of the easiest things to admire about Baldridge is his ability to take complex financial subjects and distill them into easily digestible content. This makes it easy for fans to take his advice to heart across a myriad of subjects, especially on the topic of tax planning for small business owners.
Jack Bogle
Jack Bogle, the late founder of Vanguard Group, is another influential investor Fishel admires.
Bogle set himself apart from other investors by acting as a prominent advocate for low-cost index fund investing. “He emphasized the importance of long-term investing, asset allocation and minimizing costs for individual investors,” Fishel said.
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