Growing your savings is more important than ever. Canadians are living longer, which means we all need to save more through our working years to have a financially secure retirement.

It’s important to start early and to take steps to build the confidence you need to manage your money successfully. Even if your retirement seems far away, having a plan will help ensure that you are in good financial shape when the time comes.

A financial advisor can make a big difference. Advice leads to better savings behaviours, higher savings, better tax planning and greater retirement confidence. Research shows that after 15 years or more, households with advisors accumulate nearly four times more assets than those who do not have an advisor. Studies also tell us that a long-term relationship with an advisor builds people’s confidence, increases their comfort in taking an appropriate level of risk and encourages some participation in the stock market.

If you think you don’t have enough money to work with a financial advisor, think again. Financial advice isn’t just for the wealthy — more than half of advised investors started working with an advisor when they had less than $25,000, and nearly one-fifth started when they had less than $5,000. Even if you’re just starting out on your investing path, you don’t have to do it alone.