How To Choose A Financial Advisor - Due Diligence Simplified (2024)

How To Choose A Financial Advisor - Due Diligence Simplified (1)

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It's hard to know how to choose a financial advisor.

There is so much value at stake; yet, how can you tell the experts from the charlatans?

Who can you trust? How do you really know?

After all, you are busy with kids, a career, and life. You want to be able to trust someone to make sure your financial planning is on track, but it's a den of thieves out there.

Adding confusion to concern are all the sound-alike titles such as brokers, registered investment advisors, certified financial planners, financial coaches, and financial consultants to describe similar services. Who can tell the difference?

It's time to pull back the curtain on all the techno-babble so that you can find the best financial advisors and eliminate the posers.

In this episode I'll give you a step-by-step due diligence process for how to choose a financial advisor that fits your needs.

Related:How Your Financial Advisor is Taking 75% of Your Retirement Income (or More!) Video, PDF download, or Audio.

You will learn how to sort your way through the maze of confusion so that you can get the expert help you need to reach your financial goals… without getting ripped off.

In this episode you will discover:

  • Why the starting point to choosing a financial advisor is looking inward.
  • How to match your specific needs to the right specialist (not all advisors are created equal).
  • Why the common practice of using referrals is dangerously flawed.
  • The 4 advisor compensation models and how each impacts the advice you receive.
  • Form ADV disclosure, what it says, and how to get one from your advisor.
  • 6 different financial planner search sites so you can pick the right professional for your needs.
  • Why the “fee only” compensation model means different things in different situations (this is important!).
  • How to analyze a financial advisor web site.
  • Whether or not it is even relevant to meet your advisor face-to-face any more.
  • Where the future of financial advice is heading (this may surprise you!)
  • How to understand the hidden financial incentives hiding behind the advice your receive.
  • A checklist of quality factors to use when judging your financial advisor.
  • What “assets under management” really says about your advisor, and why it's not an important quality indicator.
  • How to know the difference between CFP, CPA, PFS, RIA, CFA, and CHFC. (Yikes!!)
  • Why all these professional designations imply little about investment skill.
  • The surprising reason financial advisors don't provide investment track records.
  • Why GIPS audited track records are rare (guess what? It's the same reason they are the gold standard in performance disclosure).
  • Why there is no perfect advisor compensation model (each has an Achilles Heal that you must watch out for).
  • The key difference between the suitability standard and fiduciary responsibility (well worth knowing).
  • and much more….

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Session Include:

  • Michael's financial advisory business site is Pinnacle Advisory Group.
  • Michael's personal site is at Kitces.Com and his blog is the Nerd's Eye View.
  • Here's a listing of some of our more popular financial and investment due diligence articles to supplement these insights.
  • My 7 Steps To 7 Figures Wealth Building Course.
  • You can learn more about my financial coaching services here.
  • My article explaining how different compensation models bias the financial advice your receive.
  • My tutorial directory of articles about financial advice related topics.
  • Plannersearch.org for finding a CFP in your area associated with the Financial Planning Association.
  • NAPFA.org for fee-only financial advisors (could be asset based or hourly).
  • GarretPlanningNetwork.com for locating exclusively hourly fee advisors for asking a few questions.
  • BrokerCheck.FINRA.Org to look for enforcement violations against your advisor.
  • Brightscope.com for advisor due diligence and disclosures.

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How To Choose A Financial Advisor - Due Diligence Simplified (2024)

FAQs

What to look out for when choosing a financial advisor? ›

Here are some things to think about when selecting a financial advisor:
  • Get Recommendations from a Trusted Resource. ...
  • Ask the Financial Advisors You Interview About Their Strategies and Approaches. ...
  • Consider a Financial Advisors Certifications. ...
  • Consider Their Compensation Structure.
Mar 29, 2023

How to pick a fiduciary? ›

How to Choose a Professional Fiduciary
  1. Determine what's most important to you in a Professional Fiduciary. ...
  2. Ask friends and family for referrals. ...
  3. Search online for providers. ...
  4. Call references and run a background check. ...
  5. Interview your potential Professional Fiduciary candidates.

How to evaluate a financial advisor? ›

Here are five steps you can take to gauge your financial advisor's performance:
  1. Step 1: Evaluate the performance of your investment portfolio. ...
  2. Step 2: See if the financial advisor conducts an annual tax review. ...
  3. Step 3: Check if the advisor is aligned to your risk appetite. ...
  4. Step 4: Ensure your financial advisor listens.
Jan 23, 2024

How do you ask a financial advisor if they are a fiduciary? ›

1 – Ask them directly: A genuine fiduciary will straightforwardly affirm their role and commitment to act in your best interests. 2 – Review the advisor's credentials: Certifications such as CFP® (Certified Financial Planner) or AIF® (Accredited Investment Fiduciary) often indicate a fiduciary standard.

How do you know if a financial advisor is trustworthy? ›

Investment Adviser
  1. Visit FINRA BrokerCheck or call FINRA at (800) 289-9999.
  2. Or, visit the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD) website.
  3. Also, contact your state securities regulator.
  4. Check SEC Action Lookup tool for formal actions that the SEC has brought against individuals.

How do you judge a financial advisor? ›

  1. Identify your financial needs.
  2. Understand the types of financial advisors.
  3. Review the range of options for financial advisors.
  4. Consider how much you can afford to pay an advisor.
  5. Vet the financial advisor's background.
Apr 26, 2024

At what net worth should I get a financial advisor? ›

Generally, having between $50,000 and $500,000 of liquid assets to invest can be a good point to start looking at hiring a financial advisor. Some advisors have minimum asset thresholds. This could be a relatively low figure, like $25,000, but it could $500,000, $1 million or even more.

What is a typical fiduciary fee? ›

Percentage of Assets Under Management: The average fiduciary financial advisor fee based on a percentage of assets under management (AUM) ranges from 0.59% to 1.18%.

Which is better a fiduciary or financial advisor? ›

Fiduciaries are obligated to act in your best interest, whereas the title “financial advisor” implies no legal obligation. When looking for a financial advisor to help you develop your custom financial plan, you should ensure that your financial advisor is a fiduciary.

What is a fair percentage for a financial advisor? ›

An AdvisoryHQ study averaged three years of wealth management fees across the U.S. and found that, for a client with $1 million in assets, the average AUM fee was 1.02%. A 1% AUM fee means that a client will pay an annual fee of $10,000 to work with an advisor on an investment portfolio of $1 million.

What questions should I ask a financial advisor? ›

10 questions to ask financial advisors
  • How do you get paid? Advisors can use a variety of fee structures. ...
  • How will our relationship work? Put another way: How much access will you have to the advisor? ...
  • What's your investment philosophy? ...
  • What asset allocation will you use?
Apr 26, 2024

What to watch out for with financial advisors? ›

Some advisors, however, may not be fiduciaries, which means they may recommend products or strategies that benefit them more than you. Similarly, advisors who earn commissions or fees from selling certain products are working under a conflict of interest, so their advice is biased.

What are the disadvantages of a fiduciary? ›

A disadvantage of a fiduciary is that fiduciary advisors are often more expensive than non-fiduciary advisors as they charge higher market rates.

How do I trust a financial advisor? ›

Look for professional certifications and designations after an advisor's name, such as CFA, CFP, or CIMA. Determine the fee structure you're most comfortable with: fee-only, commission-based, or based on assets managed.

What are the best questions to ask a financial advisor? ›

Questions to ask a financial advisor
  • How will we work together? ...
  • How will you communicate with me, and how often? ...
  • What services do you provide? ...
  • What's your investment philosophy? ...
  • How will you track my investment performance? ...
  • What professional experience do you have? ...
  • What resources will I have when working with you?

How much money should you have when getting a financial advisor? ›

Generally, having between $50,000 and $500,000 of liquid assets to invest can be a good point to start looking at hiring a financial advisor. Some advisors have minimum asset thresholds. This could be a relatively low figure, like $25,000, but it could $500,000, $1 million or even more.

What should you look for in a financial advisors credentials? ›

And when you start looking for a financial advisor, you will see initials like CFA, CFP, CPA, CLU, and CAIA listed after their names. These designations indicate specific areas of expertise that an advisor is qualified in.

What is the most important thing for a financial advisor? ›

  1. Passion for Financial Planning and Wealth Management. The successful financial advisors are the ones who have an absolute passion for the subject. ...
  2. Deep Analytical Ability. There are many areas involved in a complete and thorough financial plan. ...
  3. Professional Salesmanship. ...
  4. Putting a Client's Interests First. ...
  5. Curiosity.

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