Searching for a good advisor? Here’s an insightful opinion on the 3 characteristics good financial advice should demonstrate:

It should be given by someone you like who is qualified to be giving advice. This may seem so elementary, but it’s absolutely worth noting. Financial success is not typically something that happens in short periods of time. Most times it requires long stretches of behavioral adjustment. Therefore, the giver of advice is likely someone you will want to develop a relationship with. Relationships without chemistry are not usually very successful for any useful period of time. They should also be qualified to be giving the advice.

• It should only be given after arriving at a conclusion based on an exploration into your needs. Taking off the cuff financial advice should be avoided at most costs. If it is simply a fact or specific rule that applies to anyone – like IRA contribution limits at a certain age / income level, that’s fair. But if it has to do with how you should be allocating assets, how much you should be saving, what types of accounts you should have – these are all things that require developing a far deeper understanding than a brief conversation can offer.
• It should be simple for both the receiver and giver to understand. If the person giving the advice has your better interest in mind, they will have a deep grasp whatever it is they are recommending you do or invest in. If they truly do, it will be conveyed with ease. It may require some detective work on your part, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out if you are listening to someone who doesn’t deeply understand the stuff they are talking about.

Source: TCP