Financial Planning Firm Reveals How to Find the Right Financial Advisor
Announcement posted by Approved Financial Planners 07 Feb 2015
Perth firm, Approved Financial Planners, presents ASIC recommendations on how to look for a financial planner.
Perth, WA, 6 February 2015 - A Perth area firm, Approved Financial Planners, recently made a unique post on their company blog. The post, about how to choose a financial planner, consisted mostly of recommendations by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) on how to find a financial planner, as seen on ASIC’s MoneySmart website.
Daniel Stevens, a financial planner for the firm, explained his actions thusly: “Anybody can make their own recommendations of what people should look for in a financial planner. That usually results in a biased post that is supposed to convince the reader that the company writing the article is the best choice. For this piece, we chose to discuss what the ASIC recommends and let people decide for themselves whether they want to choose our firm or find someone else for their financial advice.”
Recommendations via ASIC
Referrals
The ASIC presents professional associations, such as the Financial Planning Association and the Association of Financial Planners, as the best places to begin research when looking for a financial advisor. If that isn’t satisfactory, the ASIC recommends soliciting referrals from friends and acquaintances.
Financial Services Guide
For the next step in the process, the ASIC recommends asking each prospective financial advisor for a Financial Services Guide (FSG). This will contain relevant information such as a list of services and fees.
Licensed Advisors
The ASIC also reminds Australians to only do business with financial planners who are licensed. The licence is called an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL). Any business they represent should also hold an AFSL, according to the ASIC.
Experience and Qualifications
The ASIC recommends that every consumer makes sure that any prospective financial planner or advisor is an expert in the services and strategies that they want to employ. They also provide a list of questions on their website that they feel are good to ask any prospective financial advisor.
Current Products
The parameters and products in the investment industry are constantly changing and evolving. The ASIC recommends that consumers seek out financial advisors who keep up to date on current products offered by the industry. They also recommend that consumers avoid advisors who offer only one service or product.
How Approved Financial Planners Fits in
According to Mr Stevens, Approved Financial Planners is happy any time they get a chance to educate consumers:
“We love posting on our blog because it gives us a chance to offer relevant information to consumers. We believe that an educated consumer is going to make intelligent choices. We also believe that one of those intelligent choices is to call us and see what we have to say.”
Mr Stevens concluded, “If we can keep one person from making an expensive mistake, even if that person never contacts us, we feel that we are providing an important and necessary service to our community.”
Approved Financial Planners offers a plethora of financial services, ranging from financial planning to wealth protection to retirement planning to superannuation. They are located in the Perth suburb of Ascot, WA. To learn more about Approved Financial Planners or for an individual consultation, call 1300 787 274 or visit their website: http://www.approvedfp.com.au/.
General Advice Warning
What you need to know
Any advice contained in this Page is of a general nature only and does not take into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular person. Therefore, before making any decision, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice with regard to those matters.
Daniel Stevens, a financial planner for the firm, explained his actions thusly: “Anybody can make their own recommendations of what people should look for in a financial planner. That usually results in a biased post that is supposed to convince the reader that the company writing the article is the best choice. For this piece, we chose to discuss what the ASIC recommends and let people decide for themselves whether they want to choose our firm or find someone else for their financial advice.”
Recommendations via ASIC
Referrals
The ASIC presents professional associations, such as the Financial Planning Association and the Association of Financial Planners, as the best places to begin research when looking for a financial advisor. If that isn’t satisfactory, the ASIC recommends soliciting referrals from friends and acquaintances.
Financial Services Guide
For the next step in the process, the ASIC recommends asking each prospective financial advisor for a Financial Services Guide (FSG). This will contain relevant information such as a list of services and fees.
Licensed Advisors
The ASIC also reminds Australians to only do business with financial planners who are licensed. The licence is called an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL). Any business they represent should also hold an AFSL, according to the ASIC.
Experience and Qualifications
The ASIC recommends that every consumer makes sure that any prospective financial planner or advisor is an expert in the services and strategies that they want to employ. They also provide a list of questions on their website that they feel are good to ask any prospective financial advisor.
Current Products
The parameters and products in the investment industry are constantly changing and evolving. The ASIC recommends that consumers seek out financial advisors who keep up to date on current products offered by the industry. They also recommend that consumers avoid advisors who offer only one service or product.
How Approved Financial Planners Fits in
According to Mr Stevens, Approved Financial Planners is happy any time they get a chance to educate consumers:
“We love posting on our blog because it gives us a chance to offer relevant information to consumers. We believe that an educated consumer is going to make intelligent choices. We also believe that one of those intelligent choices is to call us and see what we have to say.”
Mr Stevens concluded, “If we can keep one person from making an expensive mistake, even if that person never contacts us, we feel that we are providing an important and necessary service to our community.”
Approved Financial Planners offers a plethora of financial services, ranging from financial planning to wealth protection to retirement planning to superannuation. They are located in the Perth suburb of Ascot, WA. To learn more about Approved Financial Planners or for an individual consultation, call 1300 787 274 or visit their website: http://www.approvedfp.com.au/.
General Advice Warning
What you need to know
Any advice contained in this Page is of a general nature only and does not take into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular person. Therefore, before making any decision, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice with regard to those matters.