Many people these days need financial advice to get out of debt, or to negotiate the tricky waters of finance in their daily lives, including paying off that mortgage while still making ends meet. But who is best qualified to give that advice? Who should they listen to? It could be a friend, or even their grandparents if they are really good at budgeting and so can give the sort of advice that will help them. But when it comes to most financial problems, getting the help of a professional person trained and licensed to give advice in that area is the best solution.

People who have no training may be able to advise on certain aspects of finance, but their advice will certainly be limited. And if an untrained person gives you specific advice about what stocks and shares to buy, or which bank to deal with, then you need to be very wary. What happens if you follow their advice and it all goes wrong? You could easily lose all your money and even if you sue them, it's not that likely you'll get it back.

At least you know that a financial advisor who has certificates to prove he is qualified will be more likely to get it right. And if he is officially working for some financial company then there will most likely be insurance for some kind of protection.