Ten questions to answer before you meet prospects

As the recession decimates the retirement accounts and life savings of, well, just about everyone, more investors are turning to financial advisors for help (30 percent say their advisor is the most important aspect of overall satisfaction, according to a study by J.D. Power and Associates; only 15 percent said performance was the most important factor). As investors begin their search for an advisor they can trust with what’s left of their financial assets, the consumer press is indispensible in arming investors with ways to weed out the “cagey” professionals, like this list of questions from Mary Pilon at the Wall Street Journal.

1. What is your client base like?
2. Who else will be seeing my account information and possibly managing it?
3. Can I have a copy of your firm’s ADV form?
4. How much time will you spend on my investments?
5. How will you work with other people involved in my financial life?
6. How have your investments performed in recent years?
7. Why do clients leave your firm?
8. What happens to my account if you leave the firm?
9. Describe your own portfolio.
10. What is your philosophy of money management?

Read the full list at http://online.wsj.com.