QA: 寻找财务顾问的最佳方式是什么？

Fitz Jones
All you want is Free, Trustworthy and Good? Easy peasy.

你想要的就是免费、可靠且优质？小菜一碟。

Hire the guy you see in the mirror each morning.

雇佣你每天早上在镜子里看到的那个人。

Free doesn't exist. Trustworthy is something that develops over time. Good, well we don't have that much time.

免费并不存在。值得信赖是随着时间的推移而逐渐形成的。至于好，嗯，我们并没有那么多时间。

About the 6th financial advisor I sat down with over the past 30 years, from JPMorgan, told me the following. Until you have more than $1M, the only financial advice you'll get is the same cookie cutter advice we give everyone else with less than $1M. For this they will charge you 1% a year and they get paid every quarter.

关于我在过去30年里与之会面的第六位来自摩根大通的财务顾问，他告诉我以下内容。除非你拥有超过100万美元，否则你得到的唯一财务建议就是我们给所有资产不足100万美元的人提供的千篇一律的建议。为此，他们将每年收取你1%的费用，并且每个季度都会得到报酬。

If you want useful help, pay a CPA to sit down with you and plan your wealth building. Learn which assets belong in which accounts. When you get ready to retire, sit down with the CPA again and plan how to use the wealth you have accumulated. I did those two things along with sitting down with 6 financial advisors. The financial advisors all sold the same product. The CPA gave me useful advice. The financial advisor I hired was me. Because when it comes right down to it, the only person who is trustworthy and free is you. You can work on getting good.

如果你想获得有用的帮助，就请一位注册会计师（CPA）坐下来与你一起规划财富积累。了解哪些资产应该放在哪些账户中。当你准备退休时，再次与注册会计师坐下来，规划如何使用你积累的财富。我做了这两件事，同时还咨询了6位财务顾问。这些财务顾问都推销同样的产品。而注册会计师给了我实用的建议。最终，我雇用的财务顾问就是我自己。因为归根结底，唯一值得信赖且自由的人就是你自己。你可以努力变得更好。

Gabriel Brenner
An advisor with the following attributes should be a good bet. 

具备以下属性的顾问应该是个不错的选择。

I. CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER

I. 认证财务规划师

These advisors have met rigorous requirements of education, examination and experience and abide by a fiduciary standard of care.

这些顾问满足了教育、考试和经验的严格要求，并遵守了受托人护理标准。

II. FEE ONLY

二. 仅收费

These advisors are paid a percentage of assets under management and/or fees for financial planning, an arrangement that minimizes conflicts of interest.

这些顾问的报酬是基于管理资产的一定比例和/或财务规划费用，这种安排最大限度地减少了利益冲突。

III. COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL PLANNING

三、综合财务规划

Obtaining investment management in the absence of comprehensive financial planning is legal, but it is not advisable. You can get everything right on the investment front, and still fail to achieve your financial obxtives.

在没有全面财务规划的情况下获得投资管理是合法的，但并不可取。你可以在投资方面做到一切正确，但仍然无法实现你的财务目标。

IV. PASSIVE INVESTING

IV. 被动投资

It is difficult to really examine the available academic studies and conclude that active investment management is a good bet. The likely impacts of active investment management are increased investment expenses and higher taxes not marketing beating performance. Active investment management is the attempt to outperform the market by identifying underpriced securities and/or to time the market (knowing when to get in or out).

确实很难通过仔细研究现有的学术研究得出结论，认为主动投资管理是一个好的选择。主动投资管理可能带来的影响是增加投资费用和更高的税收，而非超越市场的表现。主动投资管理旨在通过识别被低估的证券和/或市场择时（知道何时进入或退出）来跑赢市场。

V. INDEPENDENT/REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISOR

五、独立/注册投资顾问

Independent advisors, those not affiliated with a national brand, are far more likely to rely upon referrals to grow their business. And a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) has volunteered to be held to the higher fiduciary code of conduct that such a registration entails.

独立顾问（即不隶属于全国性品牌的顾问）更有可能依赖推荐来发展业务。而注册投资顾问（RIA）自愿遵守此类注册所要求的更高的受托行为准则。

Now, you may not have enough assets to meet the minimums that an advisor with this profile requires. Minimums are often $1 million and rarely under $250,000. If this is the case, Google Vanguard. This well regarded mutual fund company offers financial planning for a fee, albeit not face to face. Understand that the time required to offer comprehensive financial planning may be difficult to justify on a 1% annual fee with clients that have fewer assets. Some companies that offer their services to such clients push very high cost investments that lock you in for a period of years. This is to be avoided.

目前，您的资产可能达不到这类顾问所要求的最低标准。通常最低门槛是100万美元，很少低于25万美元。如果是这种情况，可以搜索Vanguard。这家备受推崇的共同基金公司提供收费的财务规划服务，尽管不是面对面进行。需要理解的是，对于资产较少的客户，提供全面财务规划所需的时间可能难以通过1%的年费来合理覆盖。一些为这类客户提供服务的公司会极力推销高成本的投资产品，这些产品会将您锁定数年。这种情况应尽量避免。

Ethan Pepper
Asking friends and family is definitely a starting point. One could also find an advisor in their particular area using the Financial Planning Association (http://www.fpanet.org/) or the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors NAPFA (http://www.napfa.org/).

询问朋友和家人绝对是一个起点。人们还可以通过金融规划协会（http://www.fpanet.org/）或全国个人财务顾问协会NAPFA（http://www.napfa.org/）在他们所在的特定领域找到顾问。

Check to see if the advisor has any credentials such as the CFP (certified financial planner). Interview a couple of different advisors to determine their competency and background. I agree with Debbie above that one should hire for knowledge/competence but personality is also important. One should feel comfortable with the advisor and be able to somewhat relate to him/her since they'll be asking some very personal questions.

检查顾问是否拥有任何专业资质，例如CFP（注册财务规划师）。面试几位不同的顾问以评估他们的能力和背景。我同意上面Debbie的观点，即应该基于知识/能力来雇佣顾问，但个性也很重要。人们应该对顾问感到舒适，并能够在一定程度上与之建立联系，因为他们会询问一些非常私人的问题。

Prashanth Prabhu
A financial advisor as the same suggests is an expert who helps you plan your finances with a holistic approach thereby helping you grow wealth over a period of time. It is not specific to a product or a one-time transaction only (though there are such situations) but the major focus is on consistency in achieving one's goals over a period of time. These are the few suggested ways to filter and help find the right financial advisor:

财务顾问，顾名思义，是帮助您以整体方式规划财务的专家，从而帮助您在一段时间内积累财富。它不仅针对某个产品或一次性交易（尽管也存在此类情况），但主要重点在于在一段时间内持续实现个人目标。以下是筛选和寻找合适财务顾问的几种建议方法：

1. Word of mouth: Marketing techniques have flourished and expanded over the due course of time, word of mouth has its own benefits. It's always best to check with family/ friends who have worked with a financial advisor and to have a general idea from another person's experience.

1. 口碑营销：随着时间的推移，营销技术已经蓬勃发展并扩展，口碑营销有其独特的好处。最好向与财务顾问合作过的家人或朋友咨询，从他人的经验中获得一个大致的了解。

2. Internet: The internet has a lot of information related to financial advisers. You can filter the same based on reviews, your needs, financial expertise required etc

2. 互联网：互联网上有大量与财务顾问相关的信息。您可以根据评论、您的需求、所需的财务专业知识等进行筛选。

3. The basic due diligence has to always be carried out before you approach a financial advisor i.e. certification, basic history of the firm etc. It's always best to do your homework before you move to the next step of meeting them.

在接触财务顾问之前，必须始终进行基本的尽职调查，例如认证、公司的基本历史等。在进入下一步会面之前，最好先做好功课。

4. Always look for a financial advisor who works in a fiduciary capacity i.e. keeping your best interests in mind. They do not advice/ suggest any particular products/ funds/ solutions etc. unless they feel it suits your needs and requirements.

始终寻找以受托人身份工作的财务顾问，即时刻牢记您的最佳利益。他们不会建议或推荐任何特定的产品、基金或解决方案，除非他们认为这些符合您的需求和条件。

Vapemaster
Most people seek recommendations from family and friends. However, this is a hit-or-miss approach that can't ensure that candidates are knowledgeable, ethical, or a good fit with your personal preferences. It's up to you to do a background check by obtaining from the advisor or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a copy of the advisor's Form ADV, which will disclose whether they accept commissions or "soft dollars" from financial institutions and whether they have had any past disciplinary actions. All of the advisors listed in Money CNNs Advisor Finder have been pre-screened to have a clear regulatory record for the past five years and a minimum of five years in active practice. Your answers to the matching profile questionnaire will help you narrow the list to include only those advisors whose personality and preferences are a good fit with your own. Regardless of how you find them, all candidates should be contacted and interviewed. An advisor needs to be someone you feel comfortable with and trust. Remember, you are hiring them, and it is their responsibility to put your interests first.

大多数人会向家人和朋友寻求推荐。然而，这种方法存在不确定性，无法确保候选人具备专业知识、道德操守或符合您的个人偏好。您需要通过从顾问或美国证券交易委员会（SEC）获取顾问的ADV表格副本进行背景调查，该表格将披露他们是否接受金融机构的佣金或“软美元”，以及是否有过任何过往纪律处分。Money CNN顾问查找器中列出的所有顾问都经过预先筛选，确保过去五年内监管记录良好，并至少有五年活跃从业经验。您对匹配问卷的回答将帮助您缩小范围，仅保留那些性格和偏好与您相符的顾问。无论您如何找到这些候选人，都应联系并进行面试。顾问必须是您感到舒适并信任的人。请记住，是您雇佣他们，他们有责任将您的利益放在首位。

Jeff Nail
Okay that's what I'm going to pour my heart into because it hits way too close to home since I work in the industry.好的，这正是我要倾注心血的事情，因为它与我的工作领域息息相关。
okay it means x, y or z can you tell me a little bit more about that" Then "okay now you if that were the case, what would be required to change things for the better? What would you need to get out of that situation? Can you tell me a little bit more about that? you know and as you go down that path they start formulating an idea of it exactly what it is they need. Finally at the end final question is simple, “so given everything that you just discussed with me and given your current situation did anything that we discussed today sound beneficial to you? Where do you stand having the perspective you have just formed around this?” if they decide what you have for them is not the right fit. You thank them for their time, provide them with whatever free resources you can and let them know you'll stay in touch in case they ever need help or advice in the future. Follow your heart. Just because somebody sounds nervous or might stumble on their words on the phone or you know use too many filler words doesn't necessarily mean that you shouldn't listen to him maybe they're just new you know give them a break but I can promise you this no person has ever been scammed by someone on the phone by a bumbling idiot that couldn't even get his words out right, those people are always sharp as a tack so that's the one trait that you got to be careful of it's also in the category of people that are great experts in their field.

“好的，这意味着x、y或z，你能再详细说明一下吗？”然后“好的，如果情况确实如此，为了改善现状需要做出哪些改变？你需要从那种情况中得到什么？你能再详细说明一下吗？”你知道，随着他们沿着这个思路深入，他们开始明确自己真正需要的是什么。最后，最终的问题很简单：“那么，根据我们刚才讨论的一切以及你目前的处境，我们今天讨论的内容对你来说有什么是有益的吗？基于你刚刚形成的观点，你现在持什么立场？”如果他们决定你提供的方案并不适合他们，你要感谢他们抽出时间，尽可能提供一些免费资源，并让他们知道你会保持联系，以防他们将来需要帮助或建议。跟随你的内心。仅仅因为有人在电话中听起来紧张或可能说话结巴，或者使用太多填充词，并不一定意味着你不应该听他们说话，也许他们只是新手，你知道的，给他们一个机会。但我可以向你保证，从来没有人在电话中被一个连话都说不清楚的笨拙的骗子骗过，那些人总是精明得很，所以这是你需要小心的一种特质，它也属于那些在自己领域非常专业的人。

Sid Kapoor
Research research and research. Everyone’s financial goals and needs are different. Everyone’s risk taking ability is also different. There is no one size that fits all. Lately I have worked on improving my skills on executing stocks options and so far it’s helping me good creating a secondary source of passive income. Key to it is not to be greedy and set the goals before you work on it. Let me know if anyone needs help there, happy to help!

研究、研究再研究。每个人的财务目标和需求都不同，每个人的风险承受能力也不同。没有一种方法适合所有人。最近我一直在提高自己执行股票期权的技能，到目前为止，这帮助我很好地创造了第二被动收入来源。关键是要不贪心，并在开始之前设定好目标。如果有人需要帮助，我很乐意帮忙！

Victor Lloyd
Of course the preponderance of the people responding to this question are financial advisors hawking their own businesses. I am NOT selling financial services!

当然，回答这个问题的人中绝大多数都是金融顾问，他们都在推销自己的业务。我可不是在卖金融服务！

Shortly before I retired, most of my savings were in a 401k plan (I also had an ESOP from which I would get some money, and my wife had a 401k plan with her employer) It was a chunk of money but certainly nothing overwhelming. I did know that all the large banks (like Chase, Bank of America, Wells-Fargo) have Financial Advising services. I asked among my friends and family and eventually went to one of those services. My wife and I opened our account at the bank in 2007 and I am very pleased with how they have done. I rather expected that the nest egg invested would double every ten years if I didn’t take anything out. I am pleased to tell you that our savings have increased at a proportion that is considerably higher than that! (…and we have taken some money out for home projects). They also provide us with very good advice in regard to our mortgage and outside investments. I can tell you that I have absolutely no concerns about our finances and I am certain there will be enough to add to our childrens’ nest eggs when we are both dead.

在我退休前不久，我的大部分积蓄都存放在401k计划中（我还拥有一个ESOP，可以从中获得一些钱，我的妻子也在她的雇主那里有一个401k计划）。这是一笔不小的钱，但当然也不算多到令人不知所措。我知道所有大型银行（如大通银行、美国银行、富国银行）都提供财务咨询服务。我向朋友和家人咨询后，最终选择了其中一家服务。我和妻子于2007年在那家银行开设了账户，对他们的服务非常满意。我原本预期如果不取出任何钱，投资的积蓄每十年会翻一番。我很高兴地告诉你，我们的储蓄增长速度远高于这个比例！（……而且我们还取出了一些钱用于家庭项目）。他们还为我们提供了关于抵押贷款和外部投资的非常好的建议。我可以告诉你，我对我们的财务状况完全没有担忧，并且确信在我们去世后，还会有足够的钱留给孩子们的积蓄。

Therefore, my suggestion is go to a large bank and interview their Financial Services people. Be wary of all the hotshots with smallish companies.

因此，我的建议是去一家大银行，采访他们的金融服务人员。对那些来自小公司的风云人物要保持警惕。

Ford Beckett
Over our years of operation we have shared in many successful opportunities, and have produced exceptional results for our clients utilizing all of the minds of brokers and researchers that we have with us here. The advice which we offer to our clients has been extensively researched and analyzed by our specialist teams, that allows us as a company to show our clients the growth they need in an investment opportunity. Ford Beckett knows that when our clients choose to make investments, they need to understand where there capital is working and how it will achieve what is needed of it.

在我们多年的运营中，我们共享了许多成功的机会，并通过我们这里所有经纪人和研究人员的智慧，为客户创造了卓越的成果。我们向客户提供的建议经过了我们专家团队的广泛研究和分析，这使得我们作为一家公司能够向客户展示他们在投资机会中所需要的增长。福特·贝克特深知，当我们的客户选择进行投资时，他们需要了解他们的资金在哪里运作以及它将如何实现所需的目标。

Pam Krueger
First you have to decide if you want a financial advisor or a broker at a brokerage firm. Brokers are not legally held to the same fiduciary standard as registered investment advisors because why should they be held to a higher ‘advice’ standard when they can get by on the lower sales rep standard that doesn’t require them to put clients’ best interests first.

首先，你需要决定是选择财务顾问还是经纪公司的经纪人。经纪人并不像注册投资顾问那样被法律要求遵守同样的信托标准，因为他们可以满足于较低的销售代表标准，这一标准不要求他们将客户的最佳利益放在首位，所以他们为何要被要求遵守更高的‘建议’标准呢？

How to find a fiduciary fee-only advisor

如何找到只收取信托费用的顾问

You know you don’t want a sales rep so that means you’re going to hunt for a fee-only advisor who works only for their clients. (In other words are ONLY paid by their clients). There are networks of fee-only advisors that advisors have to want to join such as:

你知道你不想要销售代表，这意味着你将寻找一位仅为其客户服务的纯收费顾问（换句话说，他们仅由客户支付费用）。有一些纯收费顾问网络，顾问们需要自愿加入，例如：

Fee-Only Network

仅限付费网络

XY Planning

XY规划

These are well-known sources but lots of excellent fee-only advisors don’t join those networks. You can cross-reference and do a search for local fee-only advisors, then see if you can read their profiles on any of those network sites to verify or just learn more.

这些都是众所周知的来源，但许多优秀的仅收费顾问并未加入这些网络。你可以交叉参考并搜索当地的仅收费顾问，然后看看是否能在这些网络站点上阅读他们的个人资料以核实或了解更多信息。

None of this is going to help you screen IN the right advisors who fit your circumstances or screen OUT the multitudes who don’t. Advisors specialize. They are different. Most are mediocre and a few are great. Once you do narrow down your search, then you have to vet each and every advisor to reach their background records on SEC’s website. You have to interview the advisors.

这些都无法帮助你筛选出适合你情况的顾问，也无法筛除那些不适合的大多数人。顾问们各有专长，各不相同。大多数顾问表现平平，只有少数是优秀的。一旦你缩小了搜索范围，就必须逐一审查每位顾问，查阅他们在美国证券交易委员会（SEC）网站上的背景记录。你还必须对顾问进行面试。

Please watch out for websites that advertise matching you to advisors but do not vet, do not offer privacy and you can’t verify who’s behind the service. There’s a lot of lead-generators out there who sell your name and info to insurance agents who will call you night and day.

请警惕那些宣传为你匹配顾问但既不进行审核、不提供隐私保护，也无法验证服务背后真实身份的网站。市面上有很多潜在客户生成器，它们会将你的姓名和信息出售给保险代理人，这些代理人会不分昼夜地给你打电话。

I created Wealthramp to make sense out of this mess. I have 200+ fee-only advisors who specialize in different types of clients, are all over the country and have passed my vetting.

我创建了Wealthramp来理清这一团乱麻。我有200多名只收取费用的顾问，他们专门服务于不同类型的客户，遍布全国各地，并且都通过了我的审核。

You can get matched to the advisors I recommend for you, then reach out when you’re ready. I don’t share your information with the advisors unless you ask me so you’re in control.

您可以与我为您推荐的顾问进行匹配，然后在您准备好时联系他们。除非您要求，否则我不会将您的信息分享给顾问，因此您始终掌握控制权。

Finding the right advisor can be really frustrating and I hope I’m helping. Hiring an advisor to help you save, invest and manage your life savings is a serious decision and it’s best to take it slow and go about it in a thoughtful way.

找到合适的顾问可能会让人非常沮丧，我希望我能帮上忙。聘请一位顾问来帮助你储蓄、投资和管理毕生积蓄是一个严肃的决定，最好慢慢来，以深思熟虑的方式进行。

Jack Ryan
There are a lot of different ways to find a financial advisor. You can ask your friends or family for recommendations, look online, or even contact your local financial planning association.

寻找财务顾问有很多不同的方法。你可以向朋友或家人寻求推荐，上网查找，甚至联系当地的财务规划协会。

The best way to find a financial advisor is to do your own research. Look for someone who has experience in the specific area of financial planning that you need help with. For example, if you need help with retirement planning, look for an advisor who specializes in that area.

寻找财务顾问的最佳方法是自己进行研究。寻找在你需要帮助的特定财务规划领域有经验的人。例如，如果你需要退休规划方面的帮助，就找一位专门从事该领域的顾问。

Once you’ve found a few potential advisors, interview them to see if they’re a good fit for you. Ask them about their experience, qualifications, and fees. Also, be sure to ask about their investment philosophy and how they would handle your specific financial situation.

一旦你找到几位潜在的顾问，就对他们进行面试，看看他们是否适合你。询问他们的经验、资格和费用。同时，一定要询问他们的投资理念以及他们将如何处理你具体的财务状况。

Choosing a financial advisor is an important decision. Be sure to do your homework to find an advisor who will be a good fit for you and your financial goals.

选择一位财务顾问是一个重要的决定。务必做好功课，找到一位适合你和你的财务目标的顾问。

Christopher Terry
Go here, and find a local advisor: The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (they are all fee-only)

前往此处，寻找一位本地顾问：全国个人财务顾问协会（他们均为仅收费顾问）

The only way to know for sure is to try them out or talk to people who have used them. I would not use anyone that charges a % of your assets. I have talked to a local advisor in the past and usually pay around $500-700 for a multi-hour session where they come prepared based on all the statements I sent them in advance.

唯一能确定的方法就是亲自尝试或与使用过的人交流。我不会选择那些按资产百分比收费的顾问。过去我曾与一位本地顾问交谈过，通常支付大约500到700美元进行多小时的咨询，他们会根据我提前发送的所有报表做好准备。

Whether it's worth it or not may depend on how many investments you are dealing with. I liked getting help choosing the best options in each of our 401k's that we're stuck with for the time being. Also, she helped recommend life insurance / disability options and suggested we look into filing taxes differently for extra savings. With your NW of $150K, $500 would be 0.33% of that to spend on an advisor. If you feel you have a handle on things, you could wait until that number is higher (and the expenses is a smaller %), or it doesn't seem super unreasonable to spend 0.33% for a checkup every couple years.

是否值得可能取决于你正在处理多少项投资。我喜欢在暂时无法改变的401k计划中，获得帮助选择最佳选项。此外，她还帮助推荐了人寿保险/残疾保险选项，并建议我们考虑以不同的方式报税以获得额外节省。以你15万美元的净资产来看，500美元相当于其中的0.33%用于顾问费用。如果你觉得自己能掌控局面，可以等到这个数字更高（这样费用占比更小），或者每隔几年花费0.33%进行一次检查也不算特别不合理。

Bankrupt Investor
I am not be able to answer what is the best way to find a financial advisor but can caution you to not invest money with one of the so claimed financial advisor who has answered this question and is on this question thread. His name is Prashanth Prabhu.

我无法回答寻找财务顾问的最佳方式是什么，但我要提醒你不要把钱投资给一个自称是财务顾问的人，他回答了这个问题并出现在这个问题的讨论中。他的名字叫Prashanth Prabhu。

Prashanth Prabhu is a fraud, a man with bad attitude and loads of ego. Please do not invest any of your money with 29k Investment Advisors. Beware of this investment firm. Prashanth has cheated investors from India and Middle East for more than 70 Cr. rupees. He has been behind bars in Hyderabad between Oct-Dec. 2020 (Google his name and investment firm name for proof). Unfortunately he got out on bail but the police is still on his tail. Just stay away from this company. He doesn't care a bit about any of the investor despite duping them of huge money.

Prashanth Prabhu是个骗子，态度恶劣且极度自负。请不要在29k Investment Advisors投资任何资金。警惕这家投资公司。Prashanth已欺骗了来自印度和中东的投资者超过70亿卢比。他曾在2020年10月至12月期间被关押在海得拉巴（可通过谷歌搜索他的名字和投资公司名称查证）。不幸的是，他获得了保释，但警方仍在追捕他。请远离这家公司。尽管骗取了投资者巨额资金，但他对投资者毫不在意。

Shreya Mukherjee
Well, there are quite a few ways to find a financial advisor. Like you can always ask your friends, relatives whome they consult for financial matters. Nobody takes a risk with monetary matters, so you can give a try to those refered consultants by taking an appointment.

嗯，找到财务顾问的方法其实有不少。比如，你可以随时问问朋友、亲戚他们咨询财务问题时找的是谁。在金钱问题上没人会冒险，所以你可以试着预约那些被推荐的顾问。

Also you can google for the best financial advisor near your area/location. The way I get to know Kolkata’s one of the best financial consultancy farm - Merry Mind is both the ways I stated above. Fortunately my senior office colleague refered Merry Mind and also I find them at the top of the search result on Google. Thus the trust factor builds quite easily.

你也可以在谷歌上搜索你所在地区最好的财务顾问。我了解到加尔各答最好的财务咨询公司之一——Merry Mind，是通过上述两种方式。幸运的是，我的资深同事推荐了Merry Mind，同时我也在谷歌搜索结果的首位找到了他们。因此，信任因素很容易就建立起来了。

You can try both the ways as I did.

你可以像我一样两种方法都试试。

@nite
​Depends on why you need an advisor.

取决于你为什么需要顾问。

I look for an advisor that adds value beyond the cookie cutter stuff which I am already aware of (know the Series 65, so it’s somewhat easier to tell what’s useful).

我正在寻找一位能提供超越常规建议的顾问，那些我已经知道的内容（比如我了解Series 65考试，所以更容易辨别哪些建议是有用的）。

The key is understanding what you are buying to reduce the information asymmetry involved with choosing an agent. For retail buyers, there are just too many bad FAs that drive out the good ones in the line of sight. Often you’d have to find one with word-of-mouth from someone you know to be competent and trustworthy.

关键在于了解你所购买的服务，以减少在选择代理人时存在的信息不对称。对于零售买家来说，视野中有太多糟糕的财务顾问，以至于挤走了优秀的顾问。通常，你必须通过口碑找到一个你认识且认为有能力、值得信赖的人。

Some other uses for advisors are financial mediation (i.e. family relationships or “friends” begging for a “loan”) and a second opinion. If they are creative (in a good way) that’s a big plus and their fees pay for itself ten times over. I have my own processes to determine that - but the first open ended question I ask them is what their thoughts on Bitcoin are. There is no “right” answer (not looking for a “yes man”) but they are many wrong answers which shows they don’t keep their continuing education or lack critical thinking (for example CFA now officially has Bitcoin on exams). Usually this helps eliminates the chaff quickly after a game of 20 questions where they can’t scxt their answers.

顾问的其他用途包括财务调解（例如家庭关系或“朋友”请求“借款”）以及提供第二意见。如果他们具有创造性（积极意义上的），那将是一个巨大的优势，他们的费用会十倍地回报。我有自己的流程来判断这一点——但我问他们的第一个开放式问题是他们对比特币的看法。没有“正确”答案（不是在寻找“应声虫”），但有很多错误答案表明他们没有持续学习或缺乏批判性思维（例如，CFA现在正式将比特币纳入考试内容）。通常，在一场他们无法预先准备答案的20个问题游戏后，这有助于迅速淘汰不合格者。

Flat fee tends to work better. AUM based can tend towards bias and conflict of interest, sort of like how external managers for REITs are structured.

固定费用通常效果更好。基于资产管理规模（AUM）的收费方式容易产生偏见和利益冲突，有点像房地产投资信托基金（REITs）外部管理人的结构。