I am not a financial planner
Just wanted to be clear to everyone who reads the blog and listens to the podcast about this very important topic. I am not:
- a CPA, CFA, or other accredited financial advisor
- a certified financial planner
- a certified anything when it comes to investing
- an economist
I’ve blogged and talked a lot about the economy and its impact on financial aid and paying for college, to be sure, because things like private student loan availability are important to me. That said, I hold no certifications or formal training of any kind in the above fields.
Why is this important? I don’t want people to be making any kind of serious financial decisions based solely on something you hear or read from me. Should you take what I say into consideration? I hope so - I hope I can inspire you to inquire further, to do your own research, to investigate and share your findings, but by no means should I be your only source of information.
In other words, don’t believe everything you read just because it’s on the Internet.
I’ll point you to two examples in my own life. When I first started covering personal finance and financial aid on the Financial Aid Podcast, I knew very little beyond the basics about investing, markets, carry trades, the TED spread, etc. and how all of these financial concepts tie together. As I’ve done more and more of my own research, reading, and inquiry, I’ve formulated views that are coherent enough to warrant being put on outlets like CNBC. Does that mean I’m an expert? Heck no.
The second example is what I did with my own money. As I’ve disclosed on the About page on this site, I bought two shares of stock in two student loan companies a few years ago, a symbolic holding of sorts I made with some money I had won at a blackjack table while on vacation:
Clearly, I should have stayed with blackjack instead of gambling in the stock market.
The lesson here is this - while I do write and talk a lot about the world of personal finance and the economy, I am clearly not qualified to be handing out any kind of investment advice. Caveat lector - reader beware - of me and of anyone else on the Internet and the advice or suggestions we might have about what you do with your money. Get lots of opinions, consult people who are qualified to be handing out advice (and accepting the liability for bad advice), and do your own research.
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