How To Find a

Financial

Advisor

20% of Americans actually plan ahead, when

75% want to plan ahead. Whether or not

you are the 20 or the 75 percent, here is

how you can find the right advisor to

guide your plan.

“Fee-only financial planners are

registered investment advisors

with a fiduciary responsibility to

act in their clients’ best interest.

They do not accept any fees or

compensation based on product

sales. Fee-only advisors have fewer

inherent conflicts of interest, and

they generally provide more

comprehensive advice.”

Only

Getting placed into expensive or poor

performing mutual funds since the pay-

out is larger for the fee-based advisor is

one example of a conflict of interest.

Where do I look?

Hire an advisor who doesn’t

steer the conversation to the

sale of a product. If they keep

pointing you toward one mutual

fund family, it may be a sign

that they get third party

compensation.

Quick Diagnosis

Don’t let the advisor prescribe

a mutual fund before he

knows what he's working

with. It would be like

accepting a band aid from

your doctor when you have a

sore throat.

Certified?

Make sure they have

certifications. These

certifications vary but the

most significant for financial

planners is the CFP®

CFPhony

Do not hesitate to ask them

what the slew of letters after

their name stands for. Most

advisors would love to tell you

what their certificates mean,

but only if they think you’ll love

the answer.

Services? ?

Ask them what services they

provide. Make sure they provide

comprehensive advice. Make

sure you’re on the same page.

You do what? Some people claim to be

financial advisors when they

are actually stock brokers, tax

accountants, or insurance

salesman.

All Aboard!

The National Association of

Personal Financial Advisors

(NAPFA) is the country’s

leading professional association

of Fee-Only financial advisors.

www.NAPFA.org is a great

place to search for a fee-only

advisor near you.

Look Out!

The Person is the Plan® 44 State Rt. 23 North, Riverdale, NJ 07457

These financial

advisors or brokers are

mostly commission-

based and tend to have

more conflicts of

interest when

providing financial

planning services.

Fee-Only or Fee-Based

Look out for inexperience.

Research the company. Make

sure it is has its share of

experienced, educated

individuals.

www.highlandplanning.com

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