How to Choose a Financial Advisor Who Puts You First

If you've ever wondered whether you actually need a financial advisor, you're not alone.

It's a question I get asked often.

And if you've been around my work for any length of time, you'll know I'm not exactly a cheerleader for the financial services industry.

In fact, I've often said that many so-called "financial advisors" are dodgy salespeople, earning commissions for selling products that benefit them far more than they benefit you.

So imagine people's surprise when they discover that I actually use financial advisors myself.

Not for everything.

Not to manage my entire financial life.

And certainly not to tell me what index tracker to buy.

I use them very strategically.

Recently, I sat down with Gary Booysen from Rand Swiss, one of the service providers I use, to unpack exactly when a financial advisor adds enormous value... and when they don't.

I highly recommend watching the full conversation before reading on.

👉 Watch the full video here 

The biggest mistake people make

Most people start by asking:

"Which financial advisor should I use?"

That’s the wrong question.

The better question is:

"What problem am I actually trying to solve?"

Because if you don't know that, you're incredibly vulnerable to someone selling you a product instead of helping you build a solution.

Far too many people walk into a meeting believing they need an investment.

What they actually need could be:

• estate planning
• retirement modelling
• tax structuring
• offshore investing guidance
• insurance analysis
• succession planning
• behavioural accountability

Or perhaps...

...they don't need an advisor at all.

 

You cannot outsource your financial wellbeing

This is critical to understand if you ever want to be truly wealthy.

You cannot outsource your financial wellbeing.

You can outsource administration.

You can outsource implementation.

You can outsource specialist knowledge.

But you cannot outsource responsibility for one of the most critical aspects of your life.

It's no different to your health.

You can hire an incredible personal trainer.

You can work with an exceptional functional medicine doctor.

You can have a brilliant nutritionist.

But nobody else can do your push-ups.

Money works exactly the same way.

If you're secretly hoping someone in a smart suit is going to wave a magic wand and say,

"Don't worry your pretty little head... I'll take care of everything."

...you're setting yourself up to be disappointed.

Or worse...

Destitution!

 

Most people are sold products they don't actually needs.

Someone starts earning an income.

A salesperson appears.

Suddenly they're signed up for expensive retirement products, complicated investment wrappers, life insurance policies they don't understand, and actively managed funds charging eye-watering fees.

Nobody stopped to ask:

"What are you actually trying to achieve?"

How much do you need?

What does your wealthy life look like?

What role should this money play?

What are you already competent at doing for yourself? 

Without that bigger picture, buying financial products is like randomly buying ingredients before you've decided what you're cooking.

 

A good financial advisor asks better questions

One thing Gary explained beautifully is that good advisors don't begin with products.

They begin with curiosity.

They spend time understanding your life.

Your goals.

Your concerns.

Your family.

Your future.

Only then can they begin helping you make decisions.

That is what real advice looks like.

Anything else is simply you being flogged a crap product.

 

The difference between an advisor and a salesperson

One of the easiest ways to tell the difference is this:

A salesperson tells you what they're selling.

A financial advisor helps you understand what you need.

Those are not the same thing.

If someone spends the first meeting talking about investment products...

Be careful.

If they spend the first meeting asking thoughtful questions...

You've probably found someone worth listening to.

 

The hidden cost most people never see

One of the most valuable parts of our conversation was around fees.

Most investors obsess over investment returns.

Very few pay enough attention to costs.

Yet fees compound in exactly the same way returns do.

Except they're compounding against you.

A difference of just 1% or 1.5% per year might sound insignificant.

Over twenty or thirty years?

It can cost you an extraordinary amount of money.

Not because markets performed badly.

But because too much of your wealth leaked away.

That's why I always encourage people to ask difficult questions.

Ask exactly what you're paying.

Ask how your advisor gets paid.

Ask whether there are fixed-fee options instead of ongoing percentage-based fees.

A good advisor won't be offended.

In fact, they'll welcome the conversation.

 

Low-cost investing doesn't remove the need for advice

One thing Gary and I agreed on is that buying a low-cost index tracker has never been easier.

For many people, that's exactly where the bulk of their long-term investing belongs.

But investments are only one piece of your financial life.

There are moments where specialist advice becomes incredibly valuable.

Things like:

• estate planning

• trusts

• tax efficiency

• offshore structuring

• retirement income planning

• complex family situations

• business succession

• protecting large investment portfolios

Those aren't decisions most people make every day.

That's where expertise can save you time, money and expensive mistakes.

 

A good advisor should reduce your costs, not increase them

This may surprise you.

I don't believe hiring a financial advisor should automatically cost you more.

A really good advisor often helps reduce your overall costs.

They identify unnecessary fees.

They simplify overlapping investments.

They eliminate duplication.

They improve tax efficiency.

They stop you paying for products you don't need.

Their value isn't measured by how many investments they recommend.

It's measured by how much clarity they create.

 

The most important investment is still you

Whether you choose to manage your investments yourself or work with a financial advisor, remember that no one will ever care about your financial future as much as you do.

The more you understand your money, the better equipped you'll be to ask good questions, make confident decisions, and recognise genuinely good advice when you receive it.

That's why investing in your financial education is one of the highest-return investments you'll ever make.

This is one of our biggest focuses inside the Wealth Builders Club - helping you build the confidence and financial knowledge to know when you need expert advice, what you need it for, and how to make the most of it.

Because the more you understand how money works...

The better questions you'll ask.

The better decisions you'll make.

And the harder it becomes for anyone to sell you something that isn't in your best interests.

That's why we spend time exploring practical topics like investing, retirement planning, tax, estate planning, portfolio construction and making confident financial decisions. We don't just tell you what to do, we help you understand why you're doing it, so you can make informed choices and know when it's worth bringing in expert support.

Because the goal isn't to hand responsibility for your money to someone else.

It's to become knowledgeable enough to know when you need expert advice, what you need it for, and how to choose the right advisor.

So whether you decide to manage your own investments, work with a financial advisor, or combine the two, don't ever outsource responsibility for your financial future.

If you feel that working with a financial advisor is the right next step for you, you're welcome to contact Gary directly at [email protected] or +27 11 781 4454

Stay curious. 

Keep learning. 

Ask better questions. 

And remember that the best financial decisions are rarely made by the people who know everything, they're made by the people who never stop learning.

Because at the end of the day, your greatest financial asset is you.

With love,

Ann x

P.S. If you'd like ongoing support as you build your wealth, come and join us inside the Wealth Builders Club. You'll be part of a wonderful community that is learning to invest wisely, ask better financial questions, and make confident money decisions, without handing away responsibility for their future.

P.S.S. If you haven't yet defined what financial freedom looks like for you, start with WILLOW, our free AI-powered Wealthy Inspired Life & Lifestyle Orientation Wizard. In just 20 minutes, she'll help you clarify your Wealthy Life Vision, uncover your Big Why, calculate your Freedom Number, and define the life you're building your wealth to support. Because it's much easier to make good financial decisions when you know exactly where you're going.