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I always fly my own plane when I travel.

I hate the hassle of going through TSA and dealing with other passengers on commercial flights. But most of all, I hate paying for someone else to fly the plane when I can do it myself for free. Sure, I don’t have a pilot’s license, but what’s the worst that can happen?

Okay, you caught me. I fly Southwest. But why were you so surprised to hear that I fly my own plane? First, because you know I’m not rich enough for that, but secondly, because very few people have the skills necessary to do something that dangerous that well.

Forget the obvious life-threatening perils of aviation. For now, just think about the objective of getting yourself to the right destination. If I don’t know how to read the indicators in a cockpit, and I don’t know where the “autopilot button” is (couldn’t even tell you if there is one), why would I think I could effectively get myself to where I want to go?

You know where I’m going with this. The mathematical rule when you get off course is the “one in sixty” rule. For every 1 degree off target you are, you will be 1 mile away from your destination for every 60 miles away your destination is.

For example, Phoenix is about 360 miles away from L.A. If I fly myself toward Phoenix, but I’m off by just 1 degree south, I’ll end up 6 miles south of the Phoenix airport and crash somewhere around South Mountain. Not too bad, since I can call an Uber to pick me up and get me to my meeting, but sorry about the plane! But what if I’m flying to New York City, which is 2,400 miles away from L.A.? If I’m off by 1 degree, I’m actually aiming for Philadelphia. This time, I really wish I would have paid a professional pilot!

The younger you are, the further away you are from your financial destination. You have a lot more time to live with the consequences of your decisions, both good and bad. You’re not flying to Phoenix. You’re flying to NYC, or maybe even London. And you need a copilot to help you on your journey.

When I was a teenager, I wanted to buy a BMW Z3 on my sixteenth birthday. Very James Bond, right? That would have been a mistake. Not only because I would have invested my entire savings into a quickly depreciating asset, but because I totaled my first car six months after buying it.

Luckily for me, instead of totaling a $30k BMW (these are 2002 dollars), I totaled a 1984 Buick Century that I bought from my grandpa for $1,000. Not a lot of dates occurred in that very un-sexy car (which probably helped me avoid other kinds of poor decisions).

I think about that a lot. If I had done what I wanted, I would have lost all of the money I had earned up to that point. But luckily for me, my parents had more wisdom, experience, and perspective than I did. They told me no. Consequently, I got to invest that money into a top-notch business degree and lifelong friendships from USC.

A lot of my clients are past the point in their life when the advice I give them will make a seismic difference in their financial journey. I can help them manage their assets wisely and choose the right protective vehicles in insurance and estate planning, which matters A LOT when you have a lot of money, but the decisions that got them to where they are have already been made, both good and bad. As an advisor, I can only help with the future, not the past.

If you’re in your 30s, like I am, you have a lot of future ahead of you. Not as much as when you were 16, but you also have a lot more wisdom and experience. You’ve probably made some mistakes and vowed to never repeat them. And you probably know the value of good advice at the right time.

Why should you pay for a financial copilot in your 30s? Because you’re facing a lot of firsts in this season of life. Here are some examples:

Buying your first home:

How are you expected to know what to look out for, what questions to ask, or what radon is? How are you supposed to know if you even have a good real estate agent who has your best interest at heart and isn’t just looking for a quick commission? You probably shouldn’t get on that plane without a copilot. Your financial advisor has relationships with real estate agents whom they’ve worked with, vetted, and vouched for. It could save you from making a mistake on the biggest purchase you’ve ever made.

Having kids:

No, financial advisors aren’t doulas. But we know how bringing another human into your family can affect your finances, because we’ve seen it with so many clients. How will you navigate childcare costs? Will one spouse have to cut back on work? Can you afford to get into a bigger home? And you’ve heard about college savings plans, but that’s 18 years away, right? You probably shouldn’t get on that plane without a copilot either.

Aging parents:

This is a tough one. Having conversations with your own parents about their finances is tough, but now is the time in life to start. Do they have long-term-care insurance, or are they expecting you to take care of them if they need assistance? Do they have an estate plan, or will you be going through the arduous and invasive probate process in court after the tragic event of losing your parents? Again, you probably shouldn’t get on that plane without a copilot.

The list goes on. Retirement planning, insurance analysis, tax optimization — these are not areas that you are expected to be an expert in. You are busy, and your life is getting MORE complex, not less.

Don’t fly yourself. I’m sure Philadelphia is wonderful, but it’s just not New York City.

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