The short answer
Look for someone you pay directly, not someone paid by what they sell you, who will promise in writing to act in your interest at all times.
Different questions need different people. You can check an adviser's record before you share anything, and you are allowed to ask his adviser the same questions as anyone else.
This chapter explains how things usually work in the United States. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and the rules where you live may differ. Before you act on anything here, check it with one of the people named at the end of the chapter.
What to do
- Write down which questions you need answered, and who answers each one.
- Interview at least two advisers before you choose one.
- Ask each of them the SEC's six questions, and write down the answers.
- Look each one up on Investor.gov, BrokerCheck or adviserinfo.sec.gov.
- Give his adviser the same questions and the same check as anyone else.
- Make an appointment with a lawyer, when you are ready, to look at your own will and papers.
- Set aside one hour a month for money.
What can wait
- Moving your accounts to a new adviser, or away from his.
- Rewriting your will, until you are ready to sit down with a lawyer.
Who can help
To look up an adviser or a broker, use Investor.gov's search, FINRA BrokerCheck at brokercheck.finra.org, or adviserinfo.sec.gov. For a fee-only financial planner, NAPFA's “Find an Advisor” search is at napfa.org.
If something an adviser did worries you, your state securities regulator, found through nasaa.org, takes complaints. A helper, or a librarian at your public library, can do this with you.
The rules, phone numbers and web addresses in this book were checked against the agencies’ own pages in October 2026. They change, so check anything you rely on with the office itself.
From Book 2: The Money
This page has the short answer and the closing lists from chapter 12. The full chapter explains, in plain words, what exists, what to ask, and who can answer. The book covers months 1 to 6.
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