Finding a financial adviser

You're often told to speak to a financial adviser when you're not sure how to handle a money-related challenge. But how do you go about finding a good one, and when is the right time for financial advice? We explore what a financial adviser can do for you.

You might think that people who use financial advisers have complex financial circumstances or need someone to manage their portfolio. But financial advisers can help in many other areas too.

What can a financial adviser do?

An adviser is there to help you achieve your financial goals, but that doesn’t cover building wealth through investing only. An adviser's expertise can apply to everything from mortgages to life insurance, pension pot building, retirement income management, cash management, emergency fund creation and inheritances.

Advisers vary in what they specialise in, and they fall under an umbrella of services, including the following.

Pensions

You could have several pensions you’d like to consolidate or questions about how much you’ll need to save before you retire or how to best draw an income from your savings. Whatever your circumstances, a financial adviser could help you work out the best options.

Tax

Understanding inheritance tax implications, paying capital gains tax, choosing the right tax wrappers – taxes are a tricky subject. With the help of a financial adviser, you could make the most of any tax allowances available to you, particularly when it comes to tax-efficient saving and investing.

Inheritance

An adviser can help you organise your assets and work out the most tax-efficient ways to give money to the people and the causes you care about. An adviser will usually encourage you to start this process while you still have the mental capacity to make your own decisions and understand the consequences of those decisions and can talk to your family.

Mortgages

Whether you’re a first-time buyer or you're searching for a new deal or a buy-to-let mortgage, an adviser can help you navigate the process and explore what’s available and explain how your mortgage will work over the years (and when a good time to review it might be). They’ll also be able to break down any tax obligations if your property is an investment.

Investments

An adviser could help you manage your existing investments or guide you through your options if you’re new to investing. They can highlight the risks along the way and keep you focused on your long-term goals during the market’s inevitable fluctuations.

How to find an adviser

Once you know which area you need advice on, you can start looking for an adviser. If you’re not sure where to start, ask friends and family whether there’s anyone they can recommend. Other ways to find an adviser include the following:

• MoneyHelper.org (Opens in new window) hosts a retirement adviser directory if you’re looking for retirement advice
• The Personal Finance Society (Opens in new window) (PFS) is the professional body for the financial planning profession in the UK. PFS advisers can help with retirement, mortgages, investments and other financial planning needs
• Unbiased (Opens in new window) can connect you with fully regulated financial advisers, mortgage brokers and accountants for free, or you can use its directory (Opens in new window)
• Our friends over at Nutmeg (Opens in new window) also offer regulated, restricted financial advice for a flat fee – whether you're planing for your retirement, handling a lump sum or you're simply seeking expert help getting started with investing. Restricted advice means a firm's advice is limited to its own products and services

All advisers who work in the UK should be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) – you can check on the FCA’s register (Opens in new window) Regulated advisers are required to complete a set of minimum qualifications, which you can ask to see.

What to ask a financial adviser

First, ask the adviser whether they offer free initial consultations, which will give you a chance to see how they work and whether you feel comfortable. Ask about their fees. For example, do they charge an hourly rate or offer set fees for specific pieces of planning work?

Advisers cannot be paid a commission if they give you advice about pensions, investments or retirement income products, such as annuities. They must charge you a fee for the advice.

However, if you’re looking for mortgage advice or help with things such as insurance or equity release for later in life, advisers could receive a commission for these types of products. Again, it’s good to ask up front before you commit.

The power of financial advice is that it can offer you a path to better-informed decisions. Financial advisers can help you make sense of your money in what can often be complex areas with many options.

Recommended reading

• How to future-proof your life when you gain sudden wealth
• How do you make the most of an inheritance
• Making sense of money during a divorce

Disclaimer: The Hub is intended as a knowledge portal to provide information on a range of topics, including financial products. Articles may reference products and services that Chase UK does not currently offer. As with all investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your portfolio can go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you invest. A pension may not be right for everyone and tax rules may change in the future. If you are unsure if a pension is right for you, please seek financial advice. If you do not know how to get financial advice, please read this page from the top.

Nutmeg and J.P. Morgan Europe Limited are J.P. Morgan companies. Products provided by Nutmeg are not guaranteed by Chase.