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Ask the right questions

The material you will find on the site will answer a lot of questions, even some that may not have occurred to you to ask until you had acquired this background information. Inevitably, though, the more you know, the more you will want to ask, and the less satisfied you will be with sketchy generalisations.

Don't be afraid to admit that you don't know something. Some of the biggest scams, not only in finance, have been allowed to proceed because a clever con artist has realised that intelligent people hate to admit to a lack of knowledge and understanding. Once you overcome this hurdle, make the most of it by asking the most basic questions; when you are on the trail of essential knowledge and information there is no such thing as a 'dumb' question. Don't limit your questioning to those areas where you are ignorant of the facts; ask a few where you know the answers. This activity will confirm your own knowledge and make sure that your adviser knows the basics also. If there is a difference between what you thought and the answer provided, you may be surprised to find that you know more than you realised, and the expert less!

While we can't provide you with the definitive set of questions to ask, we hope that the following basic queries will set you on the right path, and provide the spur to ask others. Combine these questions with the information you provide in the fact find (see 'Factfind your situation') and you will have the foundation for ongoing planning exercises.

The areas covered are:

1. The Basics

2. Taxation

3. General finance

4. Health insurance and income protection

5. Life assurance

6. Mortgages

7. Retirement

8. Savings and investment

REMEMBER You should not use any information contained on this page as the basis of any action until you have discussed matters with your financial adviser.