Triskaidekaphobia — the fear of the number 13 — has endured for centuries. Though the origins of this popular belief are uncertain, the effects can be seen to this day. Ever notice how some hotels label the 13th floor as the 14th?
Financial advisors know that real-world money misfortune has little to do with superstition. The cases that tend to haunt them tend to start the same way: A client makes a consequential decision without picking up the phone.
In honor of Friday the 13th — there are three of them this year — we asked advisors around the country to share the professional horror stories they’ve witnessed.
Among the responses we received, a clear pattern emerged: missteps driven not by bad luck but by unchecked assumptions and losses that might have been avoided with a call to an advisor.
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