It used to be that you had two investment options: Do it yourself or enlist the help of a financial advisor. But in the past decade, a third option has emerged: advanced technology that uses algorithms to help manage your investments. This sophisticated technology is designed to make investing simple, automatic, and nearly effortless.
At Truist, we offer a fourth option—a hybrid approach to investing that combines the benefits of data-driven technology with support from a team of financial advisors from Truist Advisory Services.
Combining advanced investment technology and an advisor offers you the best of both worlds. You can rely on the technology to manage your day-to-day investing—but still get curated guidance for your situation and goals.
Think of it as the future of investing. Here are three specific times this combination of the latest tech with a human advisor can be a great choice.
1. Global events and market downturns
It’s no secret that markets can be volatile. Human disasters (like wars and pandemics) and financial crashes (like the Great Recession of ’08) make market peaks and valleys inevitable. And in moments of uncertainty, you might be tempted to sell stocks to cut your losses. But true investing is about the long game, not timing the market.
Another common investing mistake is letting your emotions guide your investments—but a human advisor can help you make more informed decisions. If stocks start to plunge, you can call your advisor. They’ll remind you that it’s a natural part of the economic business cycle and not to panic (and then they might coach you through some breathing exercises).
And while the technology can’t give you that level of care and attention, it can do more functional work, like looking at your investments every day and automatically rebalancing your portfolio when needed to help manage risk and market changes.
2. Personal goal setting and achieving
If you want personalized guidance for your investments, there’s really no substitute for a human financial advisor. They can help you set goals based on your values, needs, and desires. And when you experience big life events, a financial advisor can understand and work with your complex needs.
But a human advisor can also work in tandem with the technology—especially if that traditional advisor offers digital investing as a service. After you discuss your goals and current situation with your advisor, they can then direct the technology to invest accordingly, says financial advisor Yanette Sullivan with Truist Advisory Services.
“A conversation with a live advisor can help you update your financial plan, and we can submit those updates to your portfolio so the platform can make that adjustment,” Sullivan says.
When it comes to your goals, you can enjoy the ease of sophisticated technology backed by real humans. They’ll work together to balance your investments based on your needs and values.
3. When you need some advice
Our advanced algorithms can make informed investing decisions based on your information and goals. But beyond that, they can’t give you more personalized advice. That’s where your human financial advisor comes in. They can provide sound guidance for your situation.
Hybrid solutions like Truist Invest give you a doubly smart approach—a data-driven investment account, with unlimited access to financial advisors who really care.
If you want advanced technology helping your investments—but still would like personalized guidance for your money—Truist Invest might be right for you.