There are many good financial planners who can truly help you accomplish your goals and objectives.
But, just like in every other industry, there are financial planners who might hinder, rather than advance your financial progress.
To separate the best from the rest, ask questions.
Here's a list of questions a prospective financial planner should be able to answer to your satisfaction.

1. Ask for references - The planner should be able to provide references from clients and other professionals.
   A planner may be able to produce client references, but if they cannot produce references from other professionals, that might mean he or she is not respected by their peers.
   
2. Have the planner outline the process they use to arrive at recommendations - What you want to hear is an answer similar to the one I've defined above in, "What is the financial planning process?"
3. Ask how the planner gets paid - No one works for free! They either charge fees, earn commission from selling financial products, or both.
   There is nothing wrong with the planner earning income from any of these methods; you should know how they get paid and the planner should not be wary of disclosing this.
   
4. Ask the planner about their experience and qualifications - You've probably heard the expression: "some people have ten years of experience, while others have one year of experience ten times over".
   As a rule of thumb, if you have significant wealth, consider working with a financial planner who has at least five years of experience.
   
5. Ask how the planner keeps current - With the constant changes and barrage of new information, how do they keep up? Do they rely on information from a parent company? Do they go to seminars? Do they attend conferences? What do they read and do they subscribe to financial publications? If so, which ones? Are they studying for a advanced degree or designation? It is impossible for anyone to be an excellent financial planner unless they continually update themselves with current and accurate information.
   
6. Ask the planner what outside professionals they can bring into client situations - When or for what reason do they bring them in? No one can be the expert on everything.
   If your planner is not an expert on your particular situation, you either need to find one that is or insist that he or she bring in an outside professional to help.
   Ask to see the financial strength of the companies the planner recommends.
   - What companies will they place your business with?
7. Ask for a satisfaction guarantee - the benefit you receive must be greater than the planning fees you have to pay.