Finding a trusted and knowledgeable financial planning specialist is one of the most important decisions you will have to make if you want to win the "Money Game". This specialist will help you identify your financial goals and construct a financial plan including a number of recommended solutions. After this initial step is completed, your financial planning specialist will then implement the plan and provide you with the periodic reviews to assess the success of the plan and consider any changes necessary to better meet your goals.

Like everything else in life, some things you should do on your own especially if you have the time and you know what you are doing. The more complicated financial issues should be left to a financial planning specialist. A major part in achieving your goals is to know your own limitations. Most of us wouldn't consider fixing our car engine or some other major and complicated task because we recognize the boundaries of our expertise.

We should remember that, we don't have a lot of chances to start over again on some of our major financial goals such as retirement planning, education planning, and estate planning. Quite often the only way we know if we were better off doing things ourselves or through a specialist is after we have retired, or our children are ready for university, or death. We just don't have the time for a second chance. My point is that on matters where we don't have a second chance-- we should not take chances!

In obtaining the services of financial planning specialist, you should ask and get answers to the following questions before deciding who deserves your trust and hard-earned dollars:

1. What are your professional qualifications, experience, and credentials?
2. Specifically, what licenses do you currently hold?
3. What is your area of financial planning expertise?
4. Describe your typical client and how you have assisted them?
5. If requested, can you supply me with references from existing clients?
6. What is your overall investment or financial planning philosophy?
7. What criteria do you take into account before deciding what products is best for me?
8. How and in what frequency will you keep me informed of my financial affairs?
9. Does your firm sell proprietary products? If yes, is your compensation different than the compensation for non-proprietary products?
10. Has a regulatory body such as the Ontario Securities Commission or the Ontario Insurance Commission ever disciplined you?
11. How accessible are you?

In addition to the above, ask yourself if you are comfortable with the way the financial planning specialist have conducted himself/herself when answering your questions.

• Is he/she friendly and approachable?
• Does the practitioner look prepared and organized?
• Is this someone you can work with over the next couple of years?
• Is he/she a good listener?
• Does he/she address both my spouse and myself openly and candidly?
• Does he/she talk about their competitors in a mocking, childish, or in an unprofessional way?
• Does the financial planning practitioner appear successful, knowledgeable and trustworthy?

If you are satisfied with the overall experience with this individual and you are convinced that this person can help you, then you should proceed to the next step. If you are not comfortable with your overall experience, you should get another referral, and another, until you find that rare individual who deserves your business. The chemistry must be right for both you and your financial specialist in order to have a long and successful financial planning relationship. When this happens, both of you win!