DIY Personal & Retirement Financial Planning

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Fee-Only Compensation Aligns the Interests of Clients and their Financial Advisors

Several important considerations favor using fee-only financial advisors over advisors and investment counselors who accept third party commissions and other payments. Fee-only payment arrangements with advisors allow clients to: 1) maintain trust and reduce unethical behavior, 2) separate financial decisions from purchases, and 3) obtain lower cost financial products. Percent of asset fees align client […]

How Expensive is Investment Advisor Compensation Paid via Sales Loads?

Even if you actually are getting good financial advice, paying your investment advisor via a sales load charge is just one of several potential compensation methods. A sales load might be the method that you prefer to compensate your broker or advisor. If your advisor is truly competent and ethical, he may be able to […]

Financial Planner and Investment Advisor Compensation Paid by Third Parties

There are three primary types of third party or commission-based compensation: commission-only, fee-based commission, and fee-offset commission. How an advisor is compensated can be a very important issue. With commission-only advisors, there is no direct cost to the client for planning and advice. The advice appears to be free, but it is not. Most clients […]

Financial Advisor and Investment Counselor Compensation Paid by Clients

There are three primary types of client paid advisor compensation: hourly-fee, fixed-fee, and asset-fee. When choosing an advisor, individuals should first decide the type of advisor compensation that makes them most comfortable. How an advisor is compensated can be a very important issue. When you hire a financial planner or investment advisor, 1) you pay […]

Does it matter how financial planners and investment advisors are paid?

Yes, it can matter significantly how a financial advisor is paid. The heart of the compensation issue is an advisor’s potential “conflict of interest” with respect to payments from third parties. Does third party compensation change the quality of the recommendations that the advisers make? If an advisor works on sales commissions or accepts other […]

Choose objective and competent financial advisers and investment counselors – Step 10 of 10 Financial Planning Steps in the Right Direction

CLICK HERE TO READ THE SKILLED INVESTOR’s OTHER ARTICLES ABOUT THESE “10 FINANCIAL PLANNING STEPS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION Financial Planning Software for Individuals Pick financial and investment advisers solely to obtain objective and high quality advice. Specific financial and investment advice is potentially of high quality, if it is carefully customized to your particular […]

Part 3 of the Never-Do List – What Not to Do with a Financial Advisor

Part 3 of the The Never-Do List – 22 Good Ways to Avoid Financial Advisor and Investment Counselor Frauds and Scams This article discusses things that you should “never do” with a financial planner or investment advisor, and it covers unsolicited advice, sales pressure, and account decision-making discretion. You should never do certain things with […]

The Never Do List – Avoid Financial Advisor Frauds and Scams

Part 2 of the The Never-Do List – 22 Good Ways to Avoid Financial Advisor and Investment Counselor Frauds and Scams This article discusses things that you should “never do” with a financial planner or investment advisor, and it covers fees, payments, and proprietary investments. You should never do certain things with a financial planning […]

Avoiding Financial Advisor Frauds and Scams – Part 1

Part 1 of the The Never-Do List – 22 Good Ways to Avoid Financial Advisor and Investment Counselor Frauds and Scams This article discusses things that you should “never do” with a financial planner or investment advisor, and it covers adviser selection, contracts, signatures, and ownership title of your assets. You should never do certain […]

22 Ways to Avoid Financial Advisor and Investment Counselor Frauds and Scams

Avoiding financial advisor and investment counselor frauds and scams – Overview The best way to avoid being defrauded or scammed by a financial or investment advisor is to investigate carefully several different advisers before hiring one of them. If you carefully choose a financial adviser or investment counselor, you have a far greater chance of […]

The Kind of Financial Advisor You Need

The kind of financial advisor you need – A Tip from The Skilled Investor Good or bad, financial advisors are expensive. If you need a financial advisor’s help and you carefully select a good financial advisor, the value of the personal finance and investment advice that you receive might easily repay the advisor cost. However, […]

If Personal Finance is Difficult – Carefully Hire a Good Advisor

If personal finance is difficult for you, carefully hire a good financial and investment adviser A previous financial article, “The Solution – ONLY follow financial strategies that are scientific, passive, diversified, savings focused, risk controlled, low cost, and tax efficient,” suggested that investors are much better off with a well-considered financial plan. A stable set […]

Advisor Costs and Strategies Determine Your Return on their Services

Financial advisor costs and the value of their investment strategies determine your return on investment from these investment advisor services A previous financial article, “The Solution – ONLY follow financial strategies that are scientific, passive, diversified, savings focused, risk controlled, low cost, and tax efficient,” suggested that investors are much better off with a well-considered […]

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