A financial adviser or financial professional is someone who gives personal financial advice to clients according to their individual financial circumstance. In the United Kingdom, there are three main regulatory bodies that regulate the financial industry. These are the FSA (Financial Service Authority), Financial Service Commission and Prudential Regulation Authority. In most countries, financial advisers must be registered with an independent regulatory body and complete certain training in order to give advice to their clients.
The first step you need to take when looking for the right advisor for your needs is to do your research. You can start by looking at the regulatory bodies yourself. Each of these have requirements that financial advisors meet before they can practice. In the United Kingdom, these requirements include having a regulated profession and following strict ethics rules. While this might seem minimal, it is still a vital safeguard against unethical behavior by advisors.
Once you have determined that you have the right fit for an investment management or financial advisors services, you will need to consider education, licensing and taxation. All three of these play a large part in a advisors ability to offer professional financial advice to their clients. You should ask any potential advisors for a copy of their professional licenses. The rules for each area vary slightly. In the United Kingdom, all financial advisors are required to be licensed and meet various rules and regulations for practicing.
After making sure that you are able to find a qualified professional to help you with your investment decisions, you should consider the different types of investment advice that financial advisors can offer. You may want to look into a full service, which means that you would be getting advice on investment strategies as well as investing in stocks, bonds and other securities. You could also consider a limited service, which typically offers investing advice and financial planning only. You will probably find that financial advisors who specialize in one or two different areas will be more helpful. Keep in mind that there are several different kinds of investment strategies, so keep in mind not to feel limited when asking for advice.
A good way to choose the most appropriate financial advisors is to go online and research registered brokers. Most regulated investment companies now have websites where you can go to request information about the different products that they offer. You should also keep in mind that you should visit the office of the attorney general in your state to determine what kind of legal protection the firm or individual lawyer that you are considering has. Certified financial planners are typically required to meet certain fiduciary standards, so it is important that you make sure that the individual you hire meets this standard.
When considering a planner, remember that they should not recommend particular investments that you could put your entire life savings into. You should also consider the advisor’s fee, whether it will be passed on to you or if you will need to pay a sizable sum before your advisor makes his/her recommendations. Finally, ask a number of questions, such as how long the firm or individual has been in business and their experience level in the specific investments you are considering. If the answers to these questions are satisfactory, then you are ready to make an appointment with a financial advisors. If you are looking for a qualified and knowledgeable professional to guide you through the process of making sound financial investments, then you should consider hiring an experienced certified public accountant to help you.