Erin,
This is a great question, and the question of when to hire a professional is one that many struggle with!

Typically, people choose to work with a professional planner for one (or several) of a couple reasons:
1) Knowledge. Financial decisions can be complex, and you need to be certain that you have the knowledge to make the right decision. For some, that means educating themselves. For others, it means utilizing a professional's knowledge on your behalf.
2) Time/inclination. A lot of your financial decisions take time to analyze and weight properly. A financial planner can help do some of the analysis and heavy lifting for you - ideally so that you can cut to the chase in your meeting about what you should actually DO to move forward towards your goals. For many, hiring a professional is simply a matter of effectively delegating to someone else what you don't want to spend time on, so you can enjoy your own time more instead.
3) Staying on track. For some, having a financial planner helps to keep them on track towards their goals. For many of our challenges in life, the problem isn't WHAT to do, it's getting it done. Regular reviews with a financial planner can help to keep you accountable to your goals. Think of it like hiring a personal trainer for your financial fitness to help you stay on track.

From a practical perspective, most people make the first step towards hiring a financial planner when they reach an important financial decision or event where they realize they need help and/or are in over their head. Some common milestones when people take their own first step towards a financial planner include:
1) Getting a first job, or a new job that pays a lot more, or a significant raise or bonus, where suddenly there is extra money at the end of the month and you need to decide where/how to save and invest it. This is also a great time to start talking about disability insurance - you probably still think you're pretty invincible, since the teenage years aren't that far behind, but in reality for someone in their 20s or 30s the risk of being disabled is far higher than the risk of death, and is far more financially disastrous. Your ability to earn income from work for the rest of your life is like your own personal money tree; make sure your money tree is insured.
2) Starting a family - at the least when you get married, and especially when you're starting to have children - is a major financial turning point in most people's lives. It brings a whole new set of issues to the table, including the potential need for life insurance, saving for college, and trying to stay on track for reaching financial independence in the future.
3) Buying a home - although the first professional you'll be working with is probably your realtor and your mortgage broker, a financial planner can help you figure out how much house (and how much mortgage) you can reasonably afford and still achieve your goals. Sadly, a lot of people might have avoided today's housing crisis and the potential of a foreclosure if they had the guidance of a financial planner up front to help them understand the mortgage they were getting themselves into and whether they could really afford to borrow so much to buy so much given their income.

I hope that helps a little!
- Michael

I would say as soon as you have more questions than answers. For some that is in their 20's for others it is in their 50's. I believe the sooner the better. It will get you started on your own personal roadmap towards financial freedom. The younger you are the easier it is to achieve. It is not good when someone calls me at 65 and says I just want to make sure I can retire. They come in and don't have enough. I have to tell them, you can't afford to retire. It is a much better conversation if you have options.

And then of course, the next question to ask is -- after deciding you do want to talk to a financial planner -- how do I find one? Here are five simple steps to follow in order to clarify your relationship – and your expectation of objectivity – with your financial advisor:

1. Deal with a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner. Regardless of what type of firm they work with, you will have a better chance of a CFP working in your best interest. Remember though, there are no guarantees in such matters.

2. Ask how your advisor is compensated. A fee-only relationship is best. Commission-based advisors can never really ensure that they are totally objective. And best yet: an advisor that bases their compensation strictly on an hourly fee is most likely to render objective advice.

3. Whenever there is an investment product discussed, be sure to ask you financial consultant if there are any potential conflicts of interest that should be revealed as a part of your decision process. Are they, or their firm, receiving any additional compensation for the sale of the proposed investment?

4. Be sure to ask if there are any past or pending disciplinary actions against your advisor, and if so, get full details.

5. Ask if your advisor is acting as a fiduciary -- putting your interests ahead of all others. If they say they are, ask for them to give you that fiduciary assurance in writing.

As a realtor, I heartily recommend that any buyer check in with a financial planner before starting the house-hunt. Two people earning the same salary might want to spend different amounts of money on a mortgage if one of them is a saver and one of them is a spender; if one expects a promotion and one does not; if one expects to get married and the other doesn't.

A good broker can help you with a snapshot, but financial planners are great at seeing the whole movie.

I think that when you ask yourself the question" Do I need to speak to a planner?" is probably a sign that you do. There are so many triggering events be it marriage, divorce, being given stock options or grants, large raise, downsized, ad nauseum......... that folks not weaned on finanical issues will need help with.