What does a financial adviser do?
Essentially, a financial planner or adviser will work with you to achieve your financial goals. It could be saving for your first home, saving for your retirement, protecting your family, or just feeling more confident and secure with your finances.
A financial adviser should not be telling you how to manage your finances. They work with you to establish a unique plan for your goals and circumstances. Financial advice is also not a one-off transaction, you will work collaboratively on an ongoing basis as personal situations change.
Are Financial Advisers worth it?
That depends on your circumstances and who you select. Everyone is different and you should find an adviser you are comfortable with and who can understand and meet your needs.
Do your research, look at reviews for financial advisers local to you and find someone you feel secure discussing your finances with.
It’s also important to have the end result in mind, so your financial planner can help achieve your goals. Getting to know clients and building trusted relationships helps shape long-term financial plans personal to them.
I can find free advice elsewhere.
There’s a lot of free content to be found online around financial advice and guidance. It could be that you find what you need by your own research. However, you must be careful it is the right solution for you.
Also, your circumstances are constantly changing. So, advice is an ongoing process which involves discussions with a professional. It’s validation that what you want is the most effective choice for you.
It’s important to trust your financial adviser, so pick someone you get on with and don’t be afraid to ask all the questions, even if you are worried it is too simple. After all, these are your finances.
Your initial meeting should be with no obligation to sign up as a client, so if it does not go as you expected, you can continue to find the right person to help you.
But who should I select and what do the different terms mean?
If you’re new to advice, the different terms and job titles might be confusing. With so many choices, selecting what’s best for you can be difficult.
All financial advisers are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and must pass the same qualifications and meet the same requirements to ensure they are providing suitable advice.
A Chartered Financial Planner adheres to and maintains standards of excellence in qualifications, ethics, business practices and professional development. In short, they have made a public commitment to professionalism and are wholly committed to providing the best possible advice, service and support to clients.
The important thing to keep in mind is finding a financial adviser you can trust and who you are willing to build a long-term relationship with. After all, it’s quite a personal matter to be discussing your financial situation with someone.
At what point in your life should you seek advice?
How old should you be? When in your lifetime should you seek advice? Why is it beneficial? It is all relative to your own circumstances, but some examples include:
- Planning for your retirement and ensuring you have enough money in the pot
- Saving for and buying a home
- Discover where best to invest your money depending on your appetite to risk
- Saving for a significant event such as marriage or starting a family
- Planning for your children’s futures with a Junior ISA or children’s pension
- Starting off and/or running a business
- Planning for your legacy and ensuring your family are not hit with a huge tax bill when you die
The levels and bases of taxation and reliefs from taxation can change at any time and are dependent on individual circumstances.
Useful links and sources
VouchedFor: A review site where you can compare what clients say about different advisers. It provides them with a rating out of 5 stars: Visit website
Find an adviser: Find qualified financial advisers in your area and select by a specific specialism: Visit website
Please note that clicking a link will open the external website in a new window or tab. Links from this website exist for information only and we accept no responsibility or liability for the information contained on any such sites. The existence of a link to another website does not imply or express endorsement of its provider, product or services by us or St. James's Place.
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We are based in Dorking, Surrey and specialise in a range of wealth management services such as retirement planning, investment planning and protection planning. Complete the form below for a no obligation chat with one of our advisers.
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Please complete the form below to request contact.SJP Approved 15/05/2025
The Partner Practice is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James's Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products. The ‘St. James's Place Partnership’ and the titles ‘Partner’ and ‘Partner Practice’ are marketing terms used to describe St. James's Place representatives.
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