It’s Fine if Investing Bores You. Some Money Pros Feel the Same Way.

For a certain type of money professional, there is a particular question that is decidedly unwelcome, and it tends to come up in a variety of social settings: Got any hot investment tips?

No. The answer is always no.

To the financial advisers who feel this way and those in similar lines of work, investing is necessary, but it may not be particularly interesting and it doesn’t spark a whole lot of joy.

These professionals know how to invest, and they care about getting it right. But to them — and perhaps to you, too — investments are simply a tool that helps people achieve their most meaningful goals. And helping people define those goals and then achieve them is what makes the job satisfying.

There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, it may be the healthiest way to think about money management, whether you manage your own finances or are trying to find someone to work with who feels the same way.

Defiance Requires Bravery

Making goals — and the ongoing, deeply meaningful conversations required to set and refine them — a higher priority than detailed attention to the stock market may seem reasonable and even obvious. The financial services industry, however, struggles with it.

For decades, stockbrokers made more money when you traded stocks, which encouraged more trades and investment strategizing. Many financial planners still base their fees on the assets they manage for you, which tends to center too many conversations on how (and how aggressively) they invest those assets.