For any entrepreneurial effort, building a home, starting a business, saving for retirement, one cannot do it alone, at least not as well as if you have a trusted and expert team around you. The team can be your family and/or your friends, or the team is comprised of specialist or expert in the area that you are not well-versed in. For you to succeed, having those who want you to succeed is important.
So you need to find someone who is a comprehensive adviser, with your best interests at heart, and most importantly, you like to work with!
Below is a checklist that I think you should go through to see if the advisor you are going to interview is “The One”.
The first five points are the “hardware” that must be in place for you to get the best advice, and the last two are the “touch and feel” factors that make your working relationship a good one for the years to come.
Are they recognized specialists in their field?
Be it you are looking for CPA, attorney, or financial planner/wealth manager, insurance agents, make sure they specialize in the areas that are most important to you and does not operate a general practice with no specific expertise.
Are they up to date on laws, regulations and knowledge in that space?
Many professionals, especially those with certification and/or license, need to have a minimum number of continuing education hours or courses. Ask questions about what they think about the newest legislation that passes (you yourself need to have read the news).
Check to ensure the credentials the person claims to have are current.
Google them, see who administers the designation, then call that administrator to verify that the credential is valid. If your advisor is a CPA or CFP, discipline records are located on the licensing body’s website.
If you like to go further, run a background check on your advisor. Start with these two questions: Have you ever been convicted of a crime? Has any regulatory body or industry group ever put you under investigation, even if you weren’t found guilty or responsible? Then ask for references of current clients whose goals and finances match yours.
Are fees transparent?
Your professional advisor is not a nonprofit, so you should be aware of how your adviser gets compensated. Ask about estimated fees about the project you have them work on – a case, a tax return, a financial report, a product, etc. Be cautious of those who state that “there are no commissions or fees”; their recommendation is likely laden with expensive fees, and the person is compensated through hidden backdoor commissions.
Do they ask to review your financial documents, such as tax returns, BEFORE MAKING A RECOMMENDATION?
This is more applicable to CPA or CFP. Tax return is a legal document used in a variety of financial transactions. Reviewing them is a must for the advisor to have a high-level understanding of your situation and absolutely necessary prior to making informed recommendations on tax subjects such as IRA conversion.
For other business-related questions, the advisor should be asking you for a set of financial statements.
Is the process transformational or transactional?
Many professionals utilize a transactional process to determine recommendations. Especially for a financial planner or wealth manager, they rely on making a commissionable trade to generate revenue for their firm and themselves, and maybe profits for their clients.
A transformational approach will focus on comprehensive planning which includes non-commissionable advice. A meeting with a financial planner or wealth manager should always focus more on planning and goals, not on a product presentation.
Do they see the big picture?
Comprehensive planning is more than just maximizing investments or minimizing taxation, expenses or risks. It is more than the objective financial data such as income, expenses, tax rates, estate plan. It is coordinating your whole life picture with other important factors, e.g. your personality, motivation, focus, risk tolerance, age, family situation, etc., that will ultimately decide your best approach.
Remember, you are in control of your own financial destiny. Having a good guide along your way to financial independence will help greatly in shortening the journey. And probably more importantly, make the journey more fun!