[ashley00]

All these years I have been using my broker it kept nagging at the back of my mind - am I really getting independent financial advice. She can only advise me to buy this stock, bond, or fund - she is not going to advise me to put my money into a real estate investment or a savings account or just go out and spend it - because the more I invest with her the more she makes. This appears to be a conflict of interest.
Whenever I ask about so called financial planners they want to do planning surrounding life insurance which because of past illnesses I cannot get or the premiums would be out of sight.

So is the nagging above my imagination or is there a place to go to get this advice, confident that there is no conflict of interest? As I am typing this one answer might be very experienced Chartered Accountant (big office?) Amy ideas on this would be much appreciated. (Senior reflecting using reversal as the spur)

[SusanYeattsCFP]

It is difficult to say what conflicts of interest your adviser may or may not have without knowing more. Nearly all advisers have either some certain bias or some real or perceived conflict of interest. Certain conflicts of interest are required to be disclosed to consumers, although often they are disclosed in fine print. Certain self-regulatory organizations, broker/dealer firms, registered investment advisory firms, and professional designation boards hold their members to specific standards for disclosure of these conflicts. Chances are if you have a good relationship with your adviser that she will be happy to answer your questions about conflicts of interest. Your adviser should have a variety of tools at her disposal that will allow her to both meet your needs and still earn a living. If "spending more money" is part of your plan, your adviser needs to divise a distribution plan for your investments. If your funds need to be in safer vehicles there are options at her disposal to offer those, too. Many firms even have FDIC insured deposit options available to their clients.

You simply need to align yourself with an adviser that you trust much the same way you would trust any other professional who has specific knowledge that you lack -- such as your doctor, accountant, or attorney and you need to be comfortable with your relationship with that indvidual or group of individuals. And, I believe, that you need to trust that she can handle making her living along with giving you accurate advice. If you don't trust that she can do that, you need to first discuss your specific issues with her and then if you're still not comfortable, find someone you are comfortable with.