For the vast majority of my 40-year career offering financial advice, my advice on paying for a financial advisor was simple: don't do it.

My logic: Managing your money isn't rocket science. What you don't already know you can easily learn, and since nobody cares as much about your money as you do, you should be the one doing it. Plus, after spending a decade working for major Wall Street firms, I learned that when it comes to commission-based advisers, the advice you pay for may be fattening that advisor’s wallet and not yours.

As I approach my own retirement, however, I’ve gotten less rigid. Now I realize not everyone's the same, nor are their situations. There are decent advisers out there. And just because you're theoretically capable of learning something doesn't mean you'll take the time and effort to do so. Even more important, as retirement nears and your nest-egg grows, the moves you make, or don't make, can have life-changing repercussions.

In short, I now believe that there are people and situations that can benefit from paid financial advice. But that begs two critical questions:

• How do I know when it's time to hire help?
• How do I find the right person to help me?

That's what this week's "Money!" podcast is about. We're going to talk about the different types of financial advisers, how to determine if you need one and if so, how to find the right one for you.

As usual, my co-host will be financial journalist Miranda Marquit. Listening in and sometimes contributing is producer and novice investor Aaron Freeman. And this week we have a special guest: Pam Kruger of Wealthramp.com.

Want more information? Check out these resources:

• 11 Tips to Help You Figure Out if You Need to Pay for Financial Advice
• 6 Silly Tidbits of Money Advice That Will Make You Poorer
• How to Find Your Perfect Financial Adviser
• 4 Times You Don't Need a Financial Adviser
• The Top 9 Ways People Near Retirement Use Fiduciary Advisers
• Ask Stacy: Do I Need a Financial Adviser, or Can I Manage My Money Myself?
• Stacy's stock portfolio
• Subscribe to the Money Talks News newsletter
• Take our course The Only Retirement Guide You'll Ever Need
• Take our course Money Made Simple
• Miranda Marquit's website

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