Questions to ask your financial planner

I wonder when we will have financial planners in large numbers in India. More often than not, we are accosted by Insurance agents, Mutual Funds advisors, Brokers, etc. Very few holistic planners, really How do you unearth the hidden identity behind your "Friendly Financial Advisor" ? We are not used to asking direct and uncomfortable questions. But if you are one who could ask, here are the questions. To other soft people, they can try to ask through some indirect questions. The direct questions could be:

What experience do you have?How long you have been doing this? What are your qualifications? What licenses do you hold? Are you registered as an investment adviser? What services do you offer? What is your approach to financial planning? Will you be the only person working with me? How will I pay for your services? Is it fee based or commission based? How much do you typically charge? Do you get additional compensation or financial incentives for selling particular products? Could anyone besides me benefit from your recommendations? Do you have an affiliation with a broker/dealer? Do you insist on managing client assets, or are you willing to give advice to clients who wish to maintain control over their own brokerage account(s)? Do you have a written client agreement? Can you ask? What other things you would ask? Let me know!

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