Joker wrote: I hear you. I am having to re-start my investing since my divorce. I will definitely have a more personal overview of my investments since my ex-wife emptied my IRA. This time I will be the only one with permission to have any withdrawals. Burned is not a good way to go.

I am really sorry to hear that JOKER. I hope you can fight through it.

I hear you. I am having to re-start my investing since my divorce. I will definitely have a more personal overview of my investments since my ex-wife emptied my IRA. This time I will be the only one with permission to have any withdrawals. Burned is not a good way to go.

He likely would, and I would be upfront with him to understand what the fees are.

Thanks for sharing those questions, Joker. I've copied them over into my financial folder so I'll know some of the points to ask about later on. Right now my investments aren't large enough to warrant the extra fees, but I'm slowly but surely getting there. Some people assume that financial advisors must act in the best interest of their client, which is a bad mistake to make when selecting a professional.

FrankN wrote:

Lexie wrote: Good answer joker! We recently met with one through our bank that had more financial knowledge in his pinky finger than I would ever have in a lifetime. It was well worth the meeting and since it was through our bank we didn't have to pay anything.

Thats great news! Will you have to pay for a fee down the road if you sign up with them?

I'm not sure FRANKN. He is employed by the bank but he mostly does his own thing. I assume if we asked him to invest our money he would charge a fee or a percentage. That would only be fare. At this time, I just needed to get some investments accessible in case we needed them for my elderly mom.

I was told once by someone that you should pick a financial advisor who has the heart of a teacher. Like a fiduciary. All others are looking out for their bottom line before they look out for yours.

Lexie wrote: Good answer joker! We recently met with one through our bank that had more financial knowledge in his pinky finger than I would ever have in a lifetime. It was well worth the meeting and since it was through our bank we didn't have to pay anything.

Thats great news! Will you have to pay for a fee down the road if you sign up with them?

Good answer joker! We recently met with one through our bank that had more financial knowledge in his pinky finger than I would ever have in a lifetime. It was well worth the meeting and since it was through our bank we didn't have to pay anything.

Sure there are...First, how many years have you been a financial advisor? What is your strongest area in financial planning? How are you compensated?
What will it cost to work with you? Are you a fiduciary? Fiduciaries must put your needs first even if they make less money. Some advisors that are not fiduciaries can make investments that are not in your best interest. Do you own the same investments that you will be recommending to me? And finally, how have your clients' portfolios performed. This should get you a nice overall view of an investment advisor.

I'm sure that not all financial advisors are alike. Some may have better results in certain areas than others. Are there some pointed questions that one can ask to find out if this is the right financial advisor for your needs? I know that you would need to find out how well the other clients are doing, right?