Hi Tom, I'm new here also.
When I decided to retire in my 40's I was terrified of losing my nestegg so I started interviewing FA's left and right. That was even more terrfying! I had learned a very few investing principles and these FA's were going against them all. Chasing past returns, high fees/commissions, market timing, fund churning. I couldn't sleep at night and I just wanted to 'be taken care of' because I had no confidence in my ability to do my own investing. But I started reading some books, looking at websites (like this one) and slowly I started getting the hang of it. I had once thought there was no way I could ever invest on my own. Now I love it and have complete confidence in my decisions. I weathered the bear market without a single panic attack.
Gaining knowledge is the key (IMHO) to getting past confusion and discouragement. Even if you decide to go with an FA - you'll have the knowledge to pick the right one. No easy task, from what I have seen!
I'm not sure if you have already done some learning, but I have collected some good beginner articles - I'd be happy to pass them on to you if you like. I'm sure you and I will find some great insight from the seasoned posters on this forum. I'm always looking to learn new stuff!
