Start 2025 right - questions to ask your financial advisor

While everyone is caught between getting children ready and into school and working towards keeping their resolutions for 2025, there is another important task: talking to your financial advisor to ensure you can meet your financial goals.

- 

Bertie Nel, head of financial planning and advice at Momentum, says South Africans hit the ground running in the new year, leaving little thought for their financial security despite being in the throes of "Januworry".

"With the cost of living crisis still a fixture of financial stress in household budgets, there is no better time than the start of a new year to engage with a financial advisor and do it right."

According to the Momentum/Unisa Household Financial Wellness Index, only 15% of South African households are really financially literate, despite 45.7% believing they are. Nel says this shows how easy it is to lie to ourselves about our handle on wealth creation and household financial management. That is where financial advisors fit in.

To maximise the value of working with an advisor, households are encouraged to ask the right questions when reviewing their finances. Nel says you should ask your financial advisor: