The current national debt in the United States is starting to reach a staggering $9 trillion. Households are borrowing more and more with mortgages and credit cards now accounting for a large proportion of a households debt’s. One of the reasons for this increasing debt is that we have come to embrace the consumerism lifestyle where instant gratification has become the norm. Instead of saving up as previous generations once did, the availability of credit has enabled many who are in a position to least afford it, to go out and live a lifestyle far beyond their financial means.

So how can we turn things around if we have been caught in this endless cycle of debt. The first thing you need to do is realize that there are professional help available. If you want to turn your financial circumstances around then finding yourself a good financial advisor should be high up in your consideration.

With the abundance of financial advisors out there how can you know which one is right for you.

The first thing you should do when looking for a financial advisor is to ask family and friends for recommendations. The same way you would get a recommendation for a doctor or accountant. Try to ask friends and family who seem to have their financial lives on track. Otherwise if you don’t have any quality recommendations to work from then call up the financial planning association and ask for a few recommendations.

Then schedule a meeting with the financial advisor. With many firms the first meeting is free and its an opportunity for you and the advisor to meet each other and get to know a little bit about each other. Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions on this first meeting. There are no silly questions and you can be sure that no matter what your question is that they have more likely than not heard it before and would be happy to answer it for you. You want to know how well you get along with this person and if you want to have them managing your finances.

Find out about their background, experience and credentials. You want to know if the advisor has the necessary background to be able to advise you suitably. Know who their general clients are. If you find that the first specializes in doctors and you’re a public servant then they may not be as suitable for you as managing high net worth individuals like doctors is very different to managing public servants. So you want to know who their typical clients are.

Ask about their fee structure and how commissions are charged. Find out if they are affiliated to any particular products and what commissions they are provided for selling these products. Some financial advisors are owned by banking institutions or the like and therefore may push their parent companies managed funds ahead of more suitable funds for your situation.

Once you’ve decided with your financial advisor the first step they will likely take is to find out your current financial situation and design a financial plan for you to follow and implement.