If you're going to go the route of the financial advisor, make sure your advisor is acting as a legal fiduciary, as this assures he/she must, by law, act in the best interest of his/her clients.
The overwhelming majority of 'advisors' out there are anything but – they're simply salesmen, peddling products to their uneducated 'clients' that will get them the fattest commissions and kickbacks. Many of these said advisors make their entire living off one giant conflict of interest (most don't even invest their own money in the manner in which they're investing yours, if that tells you anything).
The financial services lobby spends billions annually to keep the racket going, so they can continue to get away with employing mind-numbing jargon (classics like the 'suitability standard' is just one example of such blatant and intentional obfuscation) and thousand-page investment manuscripts to essentially bury all of the hidden costs and fees they'll be sacking from your portfolio, year-in and year-out. And it's all legal.
Here's a good checklist to consider when selecting an advisor. I've met the author of the article numerous times – he's an active poster in the boglehead forums, so you might recognize his name.
Seneca
The overwhelming majority of 'advisors' out there are anything but – they're simply salesmen, peddling products to their uneducated 'clients' that will get them the fattest commissions and kickbacks. Many of these said advisors make their entire living off one giant conflict of interest (most don't even invest their own money in the manner in which they're investing yours, if that tells you anything).
The financial services lobby spends billions annually to keep the racket going, so they can continue to get away with employing mind-numbing jargon (classics like the 'suitability standard' is just one example of such blatant and intentional obfuscation) and thousand-page investment manuscripts to essentially bury all of the hidden costs and fees they'll be sacking from your portfolio, year-in and year-out. And it's all legal.
Here's a good checklist to consider when selecting an advisor. I've met the author of the article numerous times – he's an active poster in the boglehead forums, so you might recognize his name.
Seneca