Q: Should I seek out professional help for personal money management?

A: You have a job, a family, and hobbies -- unless one of those hobbies is intently following the stock market, the economy, and developments in Washington, you should probably find a professional financial advisor. After all, your money deserves to be watched and actively managed, and you can't do it yourself if you have lots of other responsibilities.

The main thing you need to make sure of is that your financial advisor is actually looking out for your best interests, and not just his. A car salesman has no legal duty to look out for his customers, but a financial advisor does -- it's called a fiduciary duty. But this doesn't stop some financial advisors from steering their clients into investment products for which the advisor gets a higher commission, even if they're not exactly right for his clients. The best way to gain confidence in your advisor is to make sure you know how, and for what, he's getting paid. There's certainly nothing wrong with commissions-based advisors, but you should be aware of their pay structure, and especially if there are any products for which they receive a larger than normal commission.

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