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Independent guides to help you evaluate financial advisers using public regulatory data.
How to choose a financial advisor
A step-by-step framework for evaluating registered investment advisers — fiduciary status, fees, services, and red flags to check.
Fee-only vs fee-based advisors: what's the difference?
The two terms sound alike but describe different compensation models — and different potential conflicts of interest.
How to read a Form ADV
Form ADV is the disclosure document every registered investment adviser files with the SEC. Here's what each part tells you.
Is my financial advisor a fiduciary?
Not every "financial advisor" owes you a fiduciary duty. Here's the real difference, and how to check which kind you have in about a minute.
How to verify a financial advisor is legitimate
A step-by-step way to confirm a financial advisor is actually registered, licensed, and in good standing — using free, public records.
Financial advisor red flags to watch for
Warning signs that are worth slowing down for before you hire — or stay with — a financial advisor.
Financial advisor vs. financial planner: what's the difference?
The two titles are often used interchangeably, but they don't always mean the same thing. Here's what actually distinguishes them.
How much does a financial advisor cost?
A breakdown of the common fee models — percentage of assets, flat fee, hourly, and commission — with typical ranges for each.
Questions to ask a financial advisor before hiring them
The specific questions that reveal how an advisor is paid, what standard they're held to, and whether their record is clean — before you sign anything.
Why hire a financial advisor?
What a good advisor actually adds beyond picking investments — behavioral discipline, tax coordination, and a plan you'll stick to — and roughly what that's worth over time.
The 5 phases of retirement planning
Retirement isn't one event — it's a sequence of distinct financial phases, each with different risks and decisions. Here's the standard framework advisors use.
Required minimum distributions (RMDs), explained
What RMDs are, when they start, how they're calculated, and the penalty for missing one — updated for the SECURE 2.0 Act rules.
Safe withdrawal rates: the 4% rule and its limits
Where the 4% rule comes from, why some planners now suggest a more conservative number, and why a fixed percentage is a starting point, not a guarantee.
When to claim Social Security: 62, full retirement age, or 70
How claiming age changes your benefit amount, the break-even math, and how spousal benefits factor into the decision.
Finding a financial advisor during a divorce
What a financial advisor actually helps with during a divorce — dividing accounts correctly, understanding the tax impact, and rebuilding a plan afterward.
What to do financially after the death of a spouse
The immediate financial steps to take, the ones to delay, and how a financial advisor can help during one of the hardest financial transitions.
What to do with an inheritance
The tax rules that apply to inherited accounts and property, and a practical order of operations for deciding what to do with the money.
Getting financial advice after a windfall or liquidity event
Business sale, stock vesting, a settlement, or a large bonus — what to do first, and why the tax planning usually matters more than the investment plan.