These are tough times with the recent recession many people worldwide are struggling financially.  Because there are so many people struggling financially, there are also more people seeking help from professionals.  If you are looking for free financial advice then you might find this article helpful.

I’m sure you've heard the saying "you get what you pay for" well it is true in many aspects of life and it can also be true when seeking financial advice.  But then again you can pay for advice and still receive bad advice, so it isn't necessarily just because it's free that it's bad.  You always need to keep your mind open with free or paid advice and if something doesn’t feel right then walk away.

When seeking advice from a financial planner you will want to check the credentials of the adviser and this is the case whether you are receiving free or paid advice.  Even with paid financial advisers you may receive advice, that although is good advice, might not be suitable to your needs. 

A financial planner is working for you and should have your best interests in mind.  If you feel that an adviser doesn't have your best interest in mind, but rather just wants to make a sale, then you should move on and find another adviser.  It is advisable to speak to more than one advisor anyway so you can get some different opinions and then decide which is best for you.

Let's take a look at some places that you might go to find some financial planning help.

1. Your local bank or credit union is always a good place to start.  Many banks or credit unions offer financial planning services although they might not all offer free services.  If they don't think that they can be of assistance to you they might be able to recommend a financial planner who can help you.

2. Talk to your friends or family.  Word of mouth is how many people find good financial planners because if someone is happy with the service they have received then they are more likely to recommend them.  If you talk to your family and friends, you never know, one of them might have a good advisor that they could recommend.  Word of mouth also works the other way around, and if someone has had a bad experience then they can advise you to avoid that particular financial planning agency.

3. Your local paper or phone book should have financial planners in your area.  Your phone book will have listings of financial planning businesses and your local paper may have advertisements that could possibly include advertisements for free financial advice.  Just be careful as often the free financial advice advertisers often give free advice in the lead up to a sales pitch.

4. You can also look online to find a financial planner.  When looking online just be cautious as you never know who you are dealing with.  You want to ask about all fees that are required to make sure that you aren't hit with any hidden fees later on.  When looking online you will also want to be careful as to how much personal information you give. 

When looking for a financial planner it is best to find someone locally as a good adviser could be working for you for a long time in the future.  You don't want to travel too far every time you go for a visit to your financial planner.

You can always check the reputation of a financial planning company through your local Better Business Bureau, this way you will know if they have had any complaints or if they are a reputable business.

Unfortunately, in all walks of life there are scammers around that will try to take advantage of you.  When looking for free financial advice you need to keep this in mind and make sure that your free advice isn't leading to some sort of scam.  If it doesn't feel right then it probably isn't and you should just walk away.  Don't let anyone pressure you into anything, only ever sign up to anything if you feel comfortable with it.