Ten questions to ask your financial adviser

But in the past dozen years, financial affairs have become increasingly complex, even for people with only modest means. That's why your financial adviser could be one of the most important people in your life.

But even if you hire an adviser, your best interests can get lost in the shuffle unless you manage your relationship with your adviser. In this article we'll give you some tips to help you do that.

Providing financial advice is a full-time, demanding job, trying to keep abreast of a constantly changing marketplace of products and services as well as developments in financial markets around the world. They spend a lot of time talking directly with their clients about their needs and their anxieties. The job takes knowledge, experience and a strategic focus, along with the courage and discipline to stick with a strategy in the face of inevitable market setbacks and the temptations of the thousands of alternatives that are always there.

We can?t tell you exactly how to find the perfect financial adviser. But the following questions can help you find a new adviser or get the most from your present advisor. Even if you think you already know the answers, you're almost guaranteed to profit from asking again.

1. Do you receive independent investment and economic research?

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