Among Friends

[novamc1]

@phoenixbrd

Check out Ric Edelman, who is quite well known nationally and highy regarded professionally in the independent financial advisor and consumer financial advice fields.  His firm has connections with like-minded financial firms across the country and  can help people no matter where they live, as far as I know.

https://www.edelmanfinancial.com/pages/Forbes-2017-Americas-Top-Wealth-Advisors

I do not use him or anyone else personally for financial matters.  I have met him (professionally but not in connection with using his services) and have heard and seen him on TV and radio  in the Wash DC area for years  His firm and the books he's written have been quite popular for a long time

If nothing else, his books about money might be useful for some folks.

An  independent financial advisor  charges a fee based on performance of a client's investment portfolio, so the client knows what will  be charged without question, and the interests of both client and advisor are aligned.  I believe conventional wisdom is that anything more than 1 percent is too much.

One thing that people should probably never do is hook up with a broker who earns commissions from churning the securities and financial products in a client's account.  That's where all the horror stories that have become famous began.

[kaydee50]

I agree with the commercial where the child asks his father if the finacial planner gets paid even if he doesn't make money for you.  I think FPs should be paid on whether or not they increase the value of your portfolio, not on a set percentage of the account.

[dex]

@kitcat51 You have a strong spirit.I am happy to hear that you are doing well after all you have been through.

[dex]

@on the bay Thanks for clearing that up as I was scratching my head and probably still would be.

[chrystaltree]

That would be too much for me.  We are our own financial planner.  We have good heads on our shoulders, we know what are needs are and we aren't wealthy.  We also are more interested in protecting our money...not growing it.  Also, the idea scares me. 

[Mom2Dogs]

You might also find how the firm is ranked, our advisor is #2 in our state.

[henderson]

We've had a financial planner for over 25 years and we're happy with him.  The company is Ameriprise.  We make our decisions on how to invest with his recommendations.  We also have a will and living trust.

[sunshine45]

we have our main financial planner and he has his own group. it is easy to contact him or anyone in the group to ask questions and seek advice or speak our concerns. we have had him for almost 30 years now and are quite happy with our portfolio. we would not be without a financial planner, a cpa , and a lawyer.

we have ours through merrill lynch wealth management.

[Catiele]

My son is a financial planner. Of course he is ours. We have done well with him. He is employed by a reputable company. I will say this he cares about his clients. I do know this they aren’t all good. Some have no conscience. In my sons firm the bad ones aren’t there long. I will say this we would not have one if he wasn’t one.

[Snoopp]

1percent is more common.  Beware the discretionary accounts.