The long school year has finally come down to a few more weeks! Yes, summer vacation is here! What a great time to relax, travel, spend time with family and, yes, whip your financial plan into shape!

Creating a financial plan can, however, be confusing. There are a lot of questions you’re faced with on a daily basis. What investments do I choose in my employers plan? Should I pay my mortgage off or save? Should I lease or buy a car? What pension option should I take? What will happen if I become disabled and can’t work? Should I save for retirement, pay off debt or save for college?

You are a master in your field; however, most have not had any training in economics, estate planning, taxes and investments. You may not be familiar with the Treynor Ratio, the efficient frontier, different types of life insurances, bond swapping or R-Squared. Yet, you know you have to make these decisions. You’re correct in believing that making the wrong decision can cost you and your family a lot of money. So where do you begin with all of this?

Working with a financial advisor to create a plan is one of the steps toward achieving financial balance. A good financial advisor will first establish the relationship, gather data and analyze that data. He or she is going to ask you a lot of questions about your income, expenses, debts and what keeps you up at night. He will want to know about your employee benefits, family dynamics, the interest rate on your mortgage, your marriage, what types of insurances you have and other detailed information. With this information, he or she will be able diagnose you and provide you with a remedy.

You should see a financial advisor even if nothing is bothering you. Even healthy people get annual physicals — just because there are no symptoms doesn’t mean there is nothing wrong. A lot of illnesses have no symptoms (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc.), but they can be fatal if they’re not treated early enough. By having a financial plan and updating it, you will be able to detect any of these “illnesses” and diagnose them quickly.

What is the best part of this process? It’s that you are the specialist, too! Nobody knows you and your situation better than…YOU! You know what you spend, you know where your accounts are and you know what you want to achieve. Fortunately, that’s all you need to know. You don’t need to be an expert on taxes, bypass trusts, springing power of attorneys and bond laddering strategy.

You see, getting financially fit is kind of like getting physically fit. You don’t have to start running long distances, but you do need to start. It’s never too late to get going, but just like fitness, delaying the process can have a significant negative impact on your overall financial health. Use your summer time as a chance to alleviate some pressure and take control of your situation! You can do this.

Dustin Baker, CFP, CHFC, is a certified financial planner professional with the Alliance Advisory Group.