Too many of us seem to be batting for the fat cats of the mutual fund, do we not? Why are there not enough websites encouraging you to go off on your own while investing?

Do you have it in you to do it yourself? Or should you go to a professional to hand hold you through the process?

The following are indicators that you should go to a pro money man:

1. You are about 40 years of age: You are a late bloomer, woke up late, and suddenly you are into the investing bug. You have visited a couple of trading sites, a personal finance website, and a few websites that sell many products. Now you are convinced that you can invest on your own, can trade on your own, and over all you do not need an adviser.

WRONG: you are vulnerable to be carried away with your own brain power, and you may not understand enough about risk  and you can damage your portfolio beyond repair.

2. You hate maths, numbers, etc. but you realise that you need to do something about your investments and life in general.

3. Your track record so far with money has been terrible. You keep wondering how come you earned Rs. 3L as a beginner, took the salary to Rs. 14 lakhs when you are 33 and have NOTHING to show in form of assets?

4. The only investments that you made are some life insurance policies that one ‘agent’ gave you. You are secretly thrilled with the fact that you have at least that shit – or you would have splurged that too? What if you got just 3% p,a, on that “long term investment”.

5. Your uncle died and left you a small windfall. This Rs. 21 lakhs is haunting you. Your uncle was sure you would be confused so he asked you to invest in a mutual fund. You opened the regulators website and wondered how to select 4 funds form 4000 funds with multiple options?

6. You are normally happy to sign in the place where your agent / rm asks you to sign. Asking you to read anything financial is asking for trouble.