Published: September 22, 2025

🎥  In this video, Brennan McKean, Retirement Plan Specialist at Hall Financial Advisors, explores the hidden costs of DIY investing. While managing your own portfolio can feel empowering, market fluctuations often bring emotions like fear, greed, and regret that can derail your strategy. Brennan explains why having a trusted advisor isn’t just about picking the right investments—it’s about staying grounded, avoiding mistakes, and maintaining confidence in your long-term financial plan. He also highlights the limits of technology, which can automate tasks but can’t provide personalized guidance. Learn how professional advice can help you make informed decisions, remain focused during market volatility, and build lasting financial confidence.

 

Investing on your own can seem easy, but without expert guidance, small mistakes can quietly cost you more than you realize.

Investing on your own has never been more accessible. With tools at your fingertips, low fees, and endless online resources, it's easy to feel in control. But there’s one thing that is lost when going it on your own, the experienced guidance from a professional advisor.

At Hall Financial Advisors, we understand the temptation to go it alone. We also know that the true value of investing isn’t just about the tools you use but the guidance and expertise you have to navigate uncertain times. Brennan McKean, Retirement Plan Specialist at Hall Financial Advisors, shares,

Investing isn’t just about choosing assets—it’s about making decisions that align with your long-term goals. A financial advisor helps you stay grounded and avoid costly mistakes, especially in times of market uncertainty.”

Here’s why DIY investing can cost you more than you think:

1. Confidence Feels Easy in Good Times

When the markets are calm and rising, it’s easy to feel like you’ve got it all under control. A few smart moves here and there can build confidence. But the real test isn’t in how you handle things when the market is up—it’s how you react when the market fluctuates. Markets are unpredictable. When things aren’t going well, DIY investors can often find themselves second-guessing their decisions. McKean adds,

The true test of investing isn’t what happens when markets are rising—it’s how well you stay grounded when they’re not.”

2. When You’re Your Own Advisor, Emotions Matter

Investing isn’t always about spreadsheets. It’s about managing emotions. Fear can prompt you to sell at the wrong time. Greed might push you to chase trends. Regret can cloud your decision-making.

Having a financial advisor helps you stay level-headed, ensuring you make decisions based on your long-term goals, not your short-term emotions. It’s in those emotional moments when having guidance can make the biggest difference.

3. Technology Is Smart, But It Doesn’t Know You

Many DIY investors rely on algorithms and automated systems. These tools are great for portfolio rebalancing and tax minimization, but they can’t have a conversation with you. They don’t know what’s important to you, and they can’t help you stay aligned with your unique financial goals.

Smart technology is a helpful tool, but it’s no substitute for the thoughtful, personalized advice that a human advisor can offer.

4. Mistakes Add Up Quietly

DIY investors often fall into habits that seem harmless at first, but over time, they can have significant consequences. These include trying to time the market, overloading on a single company or sector, ignoring taxes, and confusing diversification with duplication.

Each decision may seem minor in the moment, but small mistakes can snowball into major setbacks. Advisors help you avoid these missteps and keep you on track.

5. Advice Isn’t About Transactions. It’s About Outcomes

The value of professional advice isn’t just in the transactions you make, but in the outcomes you avoid. Advisors help you:

• Make consistent, confident decisions
• Stick to your plan, even when it feels uncomfortable
• Avoid costly missteps that could derail your long-term goals
• Protect your future from impulsive decisions based on market noise

Advisors don’t just build portfolios—they build frameworks for making better decisions, especially when the future feels uncertain.

The Bottom Line

If you enjoy managing your own investments, feel confident in your plan, and sleep well at night regardless of market swings, you may be on the right track.

But if you find yourself feeling anxious, stuck, or unsure about what to do next, it might be time to get a second opinion. Having the right advisor by your side can make all the difference in your financial confidence.

At Hall Financial Advisors, we’re here to help you take the next step toward a confident financial future. Reach out to our team today to schedule a consultation and discuss how we can support your goals.