Mutual fund and insurance is a field that is completely different from others. The consultants that you choose for these fields should be well versed with all the clauses, terms and conditions and should be able to guide you during an emergency. These consultants serve you for different purposes related to mutual fund and insurance. The first and the foremost thing to keep in mind before choosing a consultant are to do a proper research. Read about the company that he is a part of, check his track record. Try to avoid those consultants who talk vaguely and give unnecessary and irrelevant options.

Here are three steps to vet your Mutual Fund and Insurance consultant

1. Find out the qualifications of your consultant: An advisor can opt to focus on different topics. Some of them are chartered retirement planning counselor, some are specialized and some have a more generic focal point like a certified financial planner. The alphabet soup around a person’s name is confirmation for the focus and effort applied to a single specific area.

It is important to know that there are many options out there, and a number of them don’t need a lot of labor to attain. For instance, a qualified management specialist for assets may sound too superior, but in reality, they require only 28 hours of syllabus that can be well-read with the help of a self-study program. Once the consultant is geared up to move forward, then he can complete a test and employ the designation if he meets supplementary requirements.

There is nothing wrong in this designation. However, if this is the only qualification a Mutual Fund and Insurance consultant has then you cannot trust them for your financial needs.

Other positions are even more challenging and need greater efforts to achieve. The consultant should not only have an experience of three years or a Bachelor’s degree but they should also pass a test of 170 questions. The various number of topics and lengthy prerequisites of the CFP exam examine that the certified insurance consultant who has applied has done a major amount of work earlier.

As a customer, you must understand what allows your consultant to give advices and how many stairs did they climb to reach this level.

2. Find out which security licenses your consultant holds. FIRA or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority writes and enforces rules to financial firms and brokers. Any certified insurance consultant licensed to deal financial advice should be registered with FIRA.

3. Talk about how your consultant is paid.How good or bad the advisor is paid is not for you to doubt his abilities and quality of work but if you know how someone is paid then you get a better chance to understand that person’s motivations. The biggest dissimilarity between commission-based and fee-based compensation is the consultant’s responsibility towards his client.

So, after going through this list you now know that you’re Mutual Fund and Insurance consultant should be a certified insurance consultant. Happy hunting!