In this episode of Blind Spots we talk about 3 screens you can use to help choose an advisor. We discuss how to identify the type of firm you want to work with, how to filter out the bad apples, and questions to ask when interviewing an advisor.
Violation Tracker: https://www.goodjobsfirst.org/
How is your firm rated by their employees?: https://www.glassdoor.com/member/home/companies.htm
Advisor history & disclosures: Investor.gov
Questions to ask your advisor:
- Can I track my fees in real time?
- Do your fees show up on my statement?
- What is your all-in cost of investing? (commissions, expense ratios, management fees)
- Ask for a copy of the firm’s updated ADV
- Do you have any conflicts of interest or affiliations to disclose in your ADV?
- If I wanted to move my accounts, what does the unwinding process look like?
- Do you have a commitment time frame?
- What’s the liquidity of the investment vehicles you will use?
- Do you charge an account closing fee?
- Do you use proprietary funds?
- Do you manage my money, or do you outsource your investments?
- What’s your framework for managing risk?
- How do you make buy/sell decisions?
- How do you optimize my plan and portfolio for taxes?
- What designations/licenses do you have?
Investment advisory services offered through Pure Portfolios, a Registered Investment Advisor with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Nik Schuurmans and Erin Varghese work for Pure Portfolios. All opinions expressed by Nik and Erin, or any podcast guest are solely their own opinions and do not reflect the opinions of Pure Portfolios. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon for investment decisions. It should not be construed as legal or tax advice and is not intended to replace the advice of a qualified attorney or tax professional. Clients of Pure Portfolios may maintain positions in the securities discussed in this podcast. This information is not an offer or solicitation to buy or sell securities. The information contained may have been compiled from third party sources and is believed to be reliable.