Tuesday's Tips: Never Trust the "Professionals"

That sounds sorta negative, doesn't it?

But the point I'm making here is that just because you pay someone to do something (give you advice, complete a task, etc.) doesn't always mean that they do it correctly or have your best interests in mind.

For example, this year I insisted that we get an accountant to do our taxes as I knew they'd be a bit more complicated with the business and the part-time contract work I was doing. I just knew that this was a great idea. I went with a referral from another small business owner and have never been more disappointed in my life. I won't get into all the nitty gritty, but let's sum it up by saying that it is now October (6 months after tax time) and we're still dealing with the fallout of the terrible job they did.

Another important thing is doctors and medical personnel. If you're lucky (or you live in a small town), you may get a doctor who actually cares, but unfortunately, more often than not, you just see someone who wants to get you in and out as fast as they can and move on to the next patient. Rarely do they take the time to get ALL the facts and they're so fast to whip out their prescription pad and send you on your way (they get lots of perks from the drug rep people and it's faster and easier to just give you some drugs than get to the bottom of it). I think it's important to question their decisions and diagnoses and tell them if you feel uncomfortable with anything they say. Sometimes it really is the best or only course of action, but you know your own body better than anybody else.

One other category that I think often falls short is contractors. You hire someone to paint your house, fix the leaky faucet, or whatever, and assume that they do a good job because you have no idea what they're doing. But it's important to double check their work and if you're not satisfied, question the way they did something or why or the price. Be sure to get estimates too, but realize that the cheapest is also not always the best. Same goes for car repairs. This is all too frustrating for me as a woman. I know nothing about cars but I feel like I always want to send my husband to the car place because I think they will not try to weasel him as much as they will me. They always want you to buy something and they don't always fix it just right.

So anyways, all I'm saying is that if something doesn't seem right to you, even if you paid to have it done, question it because it's probably not right. You are the best advocate for yourself and your family - don't let anyone tell you otherwise!