Some advisors have told me that they will not use a tool because of a warped belief they can read people better.
The fact is, we all have personal blind spots and behavioral biases which stem from the overuse of our strengths.
The right assessment process built with scientific foundations provides a huge amount of objectivity, which can help an advisor not fall into the trap of being fooled by their perception and own natural biases.
However, criticism of traditional risk questionnaires is right, as Carl Richards points out in his blog. The typical risk questionnaire is not inherently accurate and is relied upon without properly engaging the client. But if used as a starting point, success can be achieved by the advisor using it to engage the client in -a goals-based planning process.
With a reliability factor of 91% (and having been completed by over 800,000 people,) the Financial DNA Discovery Process is an independently-validated, psychometric assessment used to measure a person’s complete financial personality (including risk).
So while basic, situational “questionnaires” should be out, scientifically validated processes which are accurate and engaging should ALWAYS be used so long as they are part of a more in-depth conversation.