Hiring a financial advisor is something a lot of people don’t think to do. But in reality, it could be an important step toward meeting your financial goals. But you don’t want to hire any old financial advisor.

I was in my mid-30s when I first started working with a financial advisor. And the reason I didn’t start to use one sooner boiled down to ignorance and laziness on my part. In my 20s, long-term financial goals weren’t really on my radar.