I am trying to find a financial advisor that will be able to assist with a financial roadmap plan and investments - any recommendations?

I am a new resident in the UK and I am trying to find a financial advisor that will be able to assist with a financial roadmap plan and investments. Can you advise me on someone that I may use or any advice regarding finding one apart from recommendations or a Google search? Thank you.

Hi Klara

Welcome to the UK.

It is great that you're thinking about your finances and planning for the future. Whether you need a financial adviser to help put together a financial roadmap for you will depend on how complex your circumstances are. As you don't mention what stage of life you're at I will give you some options.

There are lots of great resources available to get you started, my personal favourite is Meaningful Money from Pete Matthews, there is a great book, podcasts and videos which cover all the basics at a fraction of the cost of a financial adviser.

If you don't feel equipped with the knowledge or are not inclined to do it yourself, for a fee a financial planner will work with you and help produce your "roadmap". It's quite a daunting task trying to find an adviser who suits you, so here are my tips.

1) Ensure they are independent not restricted. There are some great restricted advisers, but many of them can only advise on their own in-house products, rather than the whole of the market, which might not give you the best outcome.

2) There are a number of websites you can use to find an adviser, https://www.boringmoneyadvice.co.uk/ is one of them or if you'd like to cast the net further afield www.unbiased.co.uk/ is a good place to look.

3) Never pick the first adviser you talk to, speak to a couple and pick the best fit. They should be more interested in you and what you're trying to achieve, than how much money you have to invest. And personally, if they start to talk about investment returns early in the conversation, that would be a red flag for me.

I hope this is helpful and you find someone who suits you.