Issues for Florida investors: Retirement savings, lifetime income, annuities, investment advice, financial planning, real estate, insurance, estate planning, or business benefit plans.

Search and find Florida financial planners, investment advisors, and insurance reps in the following cities:

Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Naples, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Boca Raton. If you are looking for a different location, search here to find a financial planner.

Recent Posts:

March 2010: Lessons Learned from the financial crisis.

Looking backward, it's easy to see the lessons learned from the financial crisis. There are valuable insights for investors both on the downside of the market's sharp drop and on the rapid increase since the bottom.

On the downside, it is apparent now that many investors were more aggressive than they should have been. They probably felt that their tolerance for risk was high due to several years of positive returns since the last market bottom in 2003. However, investors should always view their risk tolerance and asset allocation from the viewpoint of a 50% drop. For many investors, this means keeping more money in cash or short-term bonds or other safe investments than they likely would have otherwise.

Of course, the big rise in the stock markets from the bottom in March 2009 hold lessons as well. No one can predict the future and individual investors shouldn't try to time the markets and bail out of stocks at the bottom. Investors who did so missed out on a huge stock rally and a permanent loss of wealth.

What should investors do? Florida investors should find a Florida financial advisor or financial planner who can help them with their financial plan. An advisor can help you set up an investment allocation that is appropriate for your risk levels and goals. In addition, they will be there for you to answer questions and keep you on track when times are tough.

October 14, 2009: Inflation or Deflation?

Many investors are wondering how to invest their portfolio to prepare for inflation. Others are worried about outright deflation! Which is correct? No one has a crystal ball, but you should be prepared for both. Why? The contraction in credit and the banking system acts to reduce the velocity of money and the money supply, thus causing deflation. However, the government's printing press and expansion of money cause inflation. Long-term, inflation may win out because the U.S. government is projecting larger deficits and increasing debt as far as the eye can see. However, the next year or two could be very rocky as stimulus measures get spent and bank credit continues to be volatile.

A financial planner can help prepare your portfolio for either case. While the majority of your portfolio should be broadly diversified, you may want to have a slightly above average allocation to certain investments. One is cash, which increases in value during deflation and can be invested at higher short-term interest rates during inflation. Another is commodities or TIPS (Treasury Inflation Protection Securities), both of which should do well during inflation, but may also hold some value during deflation, along with regular bonds.

June 15, 2009: How to do a background check on a Florida financial advisor or broker

Many Florida investors may be wondering how to do a background check on any financial planner or investment advisor. Unfortunately, there's no foolproof way to screen out 100% of the advisors with complaints or lawsuits against them, and some of the big frauds recently didn't have any complaints until their ponzi scheme blew up.

However, it's a good idea to do all the background checks you can, so you can see what might be there and ask the advisor about it, if appropriate. There are different places to check depending on the type of advisor. For many advisors and brokers, FINRA is the regulatory agency which needs to be checked to see complaints against the advisor. Registered investment advisors (RIAs) have their records kept by the SEC. For insurance reps, you need to check with your own state's insurance commission, such as the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.

The following article gives more detail and the actual links on How to Do a Background Check on Financial Planners, Brokers, Planners and Investment Advisors. The article describes why none of the checks are perfect, and what you should look for.

The most important thing is finding someone you can trust and who has experience helping others with a similar financial background. The background check is just one step in finding the right financial advisor for you.

May 7, 2009: How to Find a Specialized Financial Advisor or Planner in Florida

Did you realize that there are financial advisors who specialize in certain niches, just like doctors do? Florida investment advisors are a great example of this, because the state is such a melting pot of various needs. Think about some of the specific niches here: Foreign nationals and immigrants (advisor needs: speak foreign languages such as Spanish, offshore investment accounts, wiring money), retirees (advisor needs: estate planning, retirement income, long-term care insurance, tax issues with residency or homes in two states), and real-estate/business owners (insurance, asset protection, retirement plans, employee benefits).

There are absolutely planners who specialize in all these areas. In fact, there are even advisors who specialize in divorced women, socially responsible investing (SRI), doctors, families with disabled children and hundreds of other niches.

How do you find a specialized financial advisor?

The following free search tool at ClaroConnect.com allows you to search for this: Find a specialized financial planner or investment advisor. On the first page, you can check the broad category of service you are looking for such as financial planning or portfolio management. On the second page, there are several criteria you can use to narrow down your search. In location, you can choose to search for advisors within 100 miles of your Florida zip code. In qualification, you can look for advisors who have designations such as the Certified Financial Planner (CFP). There is also a Custom Search feature which allows you to type in any keyword (like doctor, retiree, socially responsible) and it will only return advisors who meet all of the criteria you have chosen. Once the search results are returned, you can read a complete profile for each financial planner or advisors which includes sections such as what makes them different and who their target clients are.

You can then select one or more advisors to contact through their profile by clicking on the green "Contact this Advisor Now" button in their profile. The site also has a financial library with articles on how to interview a prospective financial advisor, so you can help make sure you have the best fit for your financial future.

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