You want to make sure you hire the best financial advisor possible so before you hire a financial advisor, do your homework. Read through each of the steps below, conduct a search for advisors that meet your criteria, interview several, and verify their credentials and background before you hire them. Following these steps will help you hire the best financial advisor for you and your family.
Some financial advisors offer financial planning services but not investment management; others manage investments, but provide little financial planning. To find the best financial advisor for your situation you need to understand the difference, and know which services a financial advisor provides before you hire them.
All credentials are not alike. To find the best financial advisor, look for a financial advisor who has their CFP
® or PFS designation, or an investment advisor who has their CFA
®.
There are numerous ways financial advisors can charge, but in my opinion the best financial advisors are fee-only. To hire the best financial advisor you’ll need to know how all the ways a potential financial advisor may be compensated and you’ll want to understand the difference between a fee-only advisor and a fee based advisor.
Here is a list of five search engines that allow you to put in specific criteria about the type of advisor you are looking for, such as their credentials, and method of compensation, and then search for the best financial advisors in your area who meet your criteria.
You can find the best financial advisor by asking these five questions when you interview advisors. These questions help you determine how the financial advisor communicates as well as their area of expertise and ideal client.
The best financial advisors have a clean compliance background and verifiable credentials. To be sure they are who they say they are always verify a potential advisor’s credentials and compliance (legal) background before you hire them.
This is one of the simplest steps you can take to reduce the chance of fraud. The best financial advisors will use what is called a third party custodian to hold your assets.
