Advice

Online guide to working with financial advisors

Some of my most popular posts are my online guides. To date I have written three online guides:

I’m excited to bring you one more online guide on how to find and work with financial advisors.

My business is all about putting financial education programs in the workplace. Employers hire me to teach their employees about retirement, investing, taxes and all facets of personal finance. Every year I stand in front of thousands of people and my job is to make sure they engage in their financial affairs so they can take control of their money and their finances. I try very hard to increase their knowledge and also increase their confidence so they can tackle tough financial issues head-on.

Everything you need to know and more about financial advisors

As a result of my work, I have come to firmly believe that most people I meet need professional help with their finances. Few people have all the necessary qualities to do it themselves. This article is a compilation of important issues when it comes to working with advisors

Do you need a financial advisor or can you do it yourself?

I wrote this article a long time ago and I outlined 5 key qualities you need to be able to do-it-yourself. More recently, I wrote an article at MapleMoney on who needs a financial advisor (I think most people).

How to find a financial advisor?

Finding a good financial advisor can be just as difficult as finding a good investment. Here are some tips on how to find a financial advisor.

Different types of financial advisors.

Fellow blogger, Mike Holman from Money Smarts Blog wrote a great article on different types of financial advisors.

Not all financial advisors are created equal.

The term financial advisor is an abused term. There are generalists and specialists. Some do financial plans and others just sell products. There are good financial advisors and bad ones. Make sure you shop around because not all advisors are created equal.

Not all financial advisors do financial plans.

This is a pretty scary statement but you really should read this article from Million Dollar Journey sharing some interesting stats on how many people who are working with advisors actually have a financial plan. The results are shocking!

Do you have a money mentor?

Sometimes the best advice is not a professional at all. Maybe we should all be looking around for a money mentor to guide us. What do you think?

Is a money coach the answer?

Here’s an article from the Globe and Mail have written by a former financial advisor Preet Banerjee. He highlights some of the problems around getting good financial advice and why you might consider a money coach.

Questions to interview a financial advisor.

When you are shopping around for an advisor it’s important that you learn to interview advisors properly. A while back I came up with three questions you need to ask a financial advisor. Later I posted an article with a lot more than three questions to help you interview advisors.

How to run a background check on your financial advisor?

This is another great article from Money Smarts Blog with lots of detail on running a background check.

How do financial advisors get paid?

Financial advisors deserve to get paid. However, not all advisors get paid the same way. Just like advisors deserve to get paid, you deserve to know how they get paid so this article will teach you different ways advisors get paid.

Do “FREE” consultations actually save you money?

Many financial advisors offer free consultations but do these free consultations really save you money?

Be cautious of advisors who just look after themselves first.

Some advisors are really selfish and bad. Read about this advisor that tries to take advantage of his clients.

Is your financial advisor a bully?

Unfortunately, some financial advisors are aggressive and pushy. I’m constantly amazed when I hear stories like this where financial advisors get away with bullying their clients around.

When should you change your advisor?

When markets are down and performance is negative, many people look to change their advisors but is poor performance a good reason to change your advisor?

Comments

  1. Karen Collacutt

    Great round up Jim!

  2. Karen Beale

    Financial capability includes internal factors – ability and mindset – as well as external forces such as the accessibility of financial services and the ease with which consumers can interact with them.
    Online Financial Advice

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