by Juan Leer

Created on: October 13, 2010

Many people do not feel very comfortable handling their own money and their own financial life, and so they will seek out a financial planner. However, sometimes people do not know where to go to find one. They can try to go to a big financial firm and randomly get a financial planner, but is that really a good way to find someone that is going to be managing and looking over all of your financial matters?

One good way to try and find a financial planner is ask around to people you trust, and see if there is anyone that they go to and that they trust, or just anyone that they could recommend. When it comes to these matters of trust, personal recommendation from others is often the best way to find and choose a financial planner. Obviously you will still need to talk to and interview the financial planner, but this could provide a good lead for someone that will work for you and do and be trustworthy with your money.

Another way to try and find a good one is to figure out how they get compensated. If a financial planner is getting paid on commission, they might try to get you to do things with your money that will earn them the best commission. This might make them recommend something that might not actually be in your best interest. For example, if they get commission from you putting your money into a certain type of mutual fund, then they might tell you to do that even if there is another fund that you could get better returns from. You need to be careful about how the financial planner is earning their money, because they might not always have your best interests in mind.

You could also try to look at their background, qualifications, and achievements. They should be qualified to be a financial planner, and have all of the proper certifications. They should also be able to show you a track record of the things they recommend or have recommended, and see how they are performing in comparison to other funds or options.

In the end, the way to really find a good financial planner is to meet with people and choose who you are comfortable with handling your money. It is best to get recommendations from people you trust, and to figure out how they get paid, but you really have to meet with them and then trust your instinct. Your financial security is vitally important, and you need to do what you can to ensure that it is in good hands.

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