How to Evaluate Your Financial Advisor's Performance

Evaluating your financial advisor’s performance involves looking beyond mere portfolio growth and delving into a variety of factors that reveal the advisor’s true effectiveness. When considering how to evaluate your financial advisor, review the quality of advice provided, the advisor’s alignment with your financial goals and the transparency and frequency of communication, among other factors. Walking through the following questions can give you a better understanding of whether your financial advisor is truly serving your best interests.

If you need help finding a financial advisor, this free tool can help you connect with up to three fiduciary advisors who serve your area.

1. How Has Your Portfolio Performed?

Evaluating your portfolio’s performance is a key aspect of assessing your financial advisor's effectiveness. Begin by comparing the returns on your investments against relevant benchmarks, such as stock market indices or bond performance, to see if your portfolio is tracking in line with market trends.

Additionally, consider the level of risk you've agreed to take on – are the returns you're seeing proportional to that risk? It’s also important to review whether your portfolio is diversified, which can help minimize risk while seeking growth.

Lastly, ask yourself whether your investments are aligned with your long-term goals, like saving for retirement , buying a home or another objective. These factors can provide insights into how well your advisor is managing your portfolio.

2. Do They Provide Helpful Advice?

Assessing the quality of your financial advisor's advice involves looking at both the content and the relevance of their recommendations. Good advice should be tailored to your unique financial situation, taking into account your goals, risk tolerance and life circumstances. Pay attention to whether your advisor provides clear, understandable explanations for their recommendations, allowing you to make informed decisions.

It's also useful to consider whether their advice is forward-thinking and proactive, helping you anticipate and navigate potential changes in the market or your personal finances. Regularly reviewing if their advice has helped you progress toward your financial objectives can offer valuable insight into whether your advisor is offering sound guidance.

3. Are You Happy With Their Communication Style?

A financial advisor's communication style and transparency are foundational elements of a trusting relationship. Start by considering how often your advisor checks in with you – are they regularly updating you on your portfolio's progress and any necessary adjustments? Clear, concise communication helps ensure that you understand the strategies being implemented.

Transparency also plays a key role. Your advisor should be open about fees they charge , potential conflicts of interest and the reasoning behind their recommendations. If you ever feel in the dark about how decisions are made or how much you're paying, it might be a sign to reassess the relationship. Ultimately, an advisor who is both communicative and transparent helps foster confidence and peace of mind regarding your financial plan.

4. Do They Stick to the Plan?

Evaluating your advisor’s adherence to your agreed-upon strategy can also help ensure that your financial plan stays on track.

Start by reviewing whether your advisor consistently follows the investment approach you’ve outlined together, whether it's a conservative, balanced or aggressive strategy. Look for signs of unnecessary deviations or shifts that aren’t aligned with your original goals. If your strategy includes specific milestones, like saving for retirement or funding a child's education , assess whether your advisor is helping you make measurable progress toward those objectives.

5. Have Your Needs Changed?

As your life evolves, your financial priorities may shift, such as moving from a focus on wealth accumulation to retirement planning, estate planning or tax planning. Or, for example, if you've recently acquired significant assets, you might need more specialized advice on estate planning to ensure your wealth is passed on efficiently. If your advisor hasn't adapted their approach to account for these new priorities or simply doesn't have the type of expertise you now require, it might indicate it’s time to find a new financial advisor .

Regularly assess if your advisor can handle more complex needs, like tax-efficient strategies or legacy planning, and ensure they're offering tailored solutions as your financial situation evolves. This helps confirm that your advisor remains in alignment with your long-term goals.

6. How Do They Manage Risk?

Evaluating your advisor’s ability to manage risk involves examining how well they balance your portfolio in line with your risk tolerance. Start by determining if they've helped you diversify your investments, spreading risk across different asset classes to minimize potential losses. Also consider how they adjust your portfolio when market conditions change – are they proactive in mitigating risks while staying aligned with your long-term goals?

You should also look at how your advisor has responded to market volatility in the past. Have they made rational, well-informed adjustments, or did they overreact to short-term fluctuations? A good financial advisor should provide a thoughtful, steady approach to managing risk, ensuring your investments remain secure without sacrificing future growth opportunities.

Bottom Line

Evaluating your financial advisor’s performance involves taking a closer look at multiple aspects of their service, from how well they manage your portfolio to the quality of their advice and communication. It's about ensuring their strategies align with your goals and that they can adapt to your changing financial needs. Reviewing how they handle risk, stick to the agreed-upon plan and communicate with transparency will help you gauge whether they're meeting your expectations. A thorough, ongoing assessment can give you a clearer sense of how effectively your advisor is helping you achieve your financial objectives.

Tips for Finding a Financial Advisor

• It's important to understand how your current financial advisor or the advisor you hope to work with earns compensation. Most advisors receive client-paid fees for the advisory services they provide. However, some advisors collect these fees, as well as third-party commissions for selling or recommending financial products and services, like insurance policies. This hybrid form of compensation is a conflict of interest, because third-party commissions give advisors a financial incentive to make certain recommendations over others. Knowing the difference between the fee-only and fee-based models may help you choose an advisor who aligns with your needs.
• Finding a financial advisor doesn't have to be hard. SmartAsset's free tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can have a free introductory call with your advisor matches to decide which one you feel is right for you. If you're ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now .

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