The Bank Holiday weekend approaches and many will be hoping that the traditional BBQ in the rain will be avoided this weekend. Many will also take advantage of the additional day to attempt some of those awkward jobs around the home with thousands making trips to DIY stores across Britain. Putting up your own shelves is one thing, but even in these more challenging times, it is worth remembering that if the job is beyond your current ability and is important, it is worth seeking someone that is proficient in the relevant task. D-I-Y is for many a pleasure, for others it is a perceived way of saving money. When it comes to financial planning there are those that spend time to save money (DIY) and those that spend money to save time (our clients). A key factor is the complexity of your financial planning and your ability to know how to navigate the industry. Clearly I don’t work with people that want DIY financial planning, not that they aren’t bright enough, they simply value their time and want to focus on things that they are good at or enjoy doing. Its also the case that I “carry the can” as the one responsible for the advice.

So it perhaps a timely reminder in today’s news of the pitfalls of attempting those “irritating little jobs” with the best of intentions, but lacking the relevant skills. A parishioner in her 80’s was concerned about the deterioration of a fresco of Jesus at her local church near Zaragoza and decided that enough was enough and that she would attempt to repair the painting “Ecce Homo” by Elias Garcia Martinez. The result has caused considerable bewilderment and presumably significant cost to correct. Whilst I am sure most would not have even attempted this DIY job, it does prompt the question about whether we are really aware of how limited some of our own skills are and how long it takes to become accomplished in them. This story has of course caused much attention across the internet, but perhaps it is worth seeing as a lesson from Spain, that skills are learned over many years.

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