20 Best Questions to Ask a Financial Advisor (2025)
According to a 2024 article published by The Australian Financial Review, over $3.5 trillion is expected to be transferred from older generations to younger Australians in the coming years. In this context, financial planning in 2025 isn’t just about budgeting or superannuation—it’s about legacy.
Selecting a financial advisor is one of the most important decisions you can make when it comes to securing your financial future. Whether you’re planning for retirement, managing investments, or navigating the complexities of tax and estate planning, the right advisor can bring clarity and structure to your goals.
Yet, with so many options available in 2025 — from traditional advisors to AI-assisted platforms — how do you ensure you’re making the right choice?
The answer lies in asking the right questions. A good advisor will welcome your curiosity, be transparent about their qualifications, and ensure you feel comfortable with their process. If you’re meeting an advisor for the first time, knowing the best questions to ask a financial advisor will help you assess whether they’re the right fit for your needs and long-term objectives.
In this guide, we outline the 20 questions to ask your financial advisor to ensure they align with your goals, values, and expectations. We’ve also grouped these into logical themes to help you approach your first conversation with clarity and confidence.
Why Asking Questions Matters in 2025
The financial landscape has evolved dramatically in recent years. Between the rise of robo-advisors, increased regulatory scrutiny, and the introduction of AI tools in financial planning, today’s investors and individuals need to be more informed than ever. Gone are the days when choosing a financial advisor meant simply asking for performance reports. In 2025, you need to understand their methodology, communication style, fee structure, and how they tailor strategies to suit your specific life stage and goals.
Knowing the right things to ask a financial advisor in the first meeting ensures that you’re not only working with someone qualified but someone whose advice is relevant and trustworthy.
1. Questions About Qualifications & Experience
Before entrusting someone with your financial future, it’s vital to understand their background and credentials.
1. What certifications or licenses do you hold?
Ask about designations like CFP, CPA, CFA, or others. These show the advisor has met industry standards.
2. How long have you been practicing as a financial advisor?
Experience in different market cycles can offer perspectives that textbooks can’t.
3. Do you specialise in working with clients like me?
If you’re a business owner, retiree, or high-income professional, you’ll want someone who understands your unique needs.
4. Have you worked with clients at my financial stage or with similar goals?
This helps gauge their familiarity with scenarios similar to yours.
These questions for financial advisor conversations are your first step in evaluating whether their experience aligns with your expectations.
2. Questions About Services & Approach
A financial advisor’s role extends far beyond investments — they may assist with tax planning, insurance, estate strategies, and more.
5. What services do you provide beyond investment advice?
Comprehensive advisors offer holistic planning including retirement, education, and risk management.
6. Do you provide customised financial plans or standardised solutions?
It’s important to know if their advice is tailored to your individual needs.
7. How do you stay current with changes in tax laws and financial regulations?
Advisors who manage a growing client base often turn to financial advisor outsourcing solutions to keep up with compliance, strategy development, and documentation without sacrificing personalised service.
3. Questions About Fees & Conflicts of Interest
Understanding how your advisor is compensated is essential to building trust and identifying potential conflicts of interest.
8. How are you compensated — fee-only, commission-based, or a mix?
Fee-only advisors are generally considered less conflicted, as they do not earn commissions from selling products.
9. Do you receive commissions or incentives for recommending certain products?
Transparency around compensation is a hallmark of a trustworthy advisor.
10. Can you provide a breakdown of all fees I’ll be charged?
This includes advisory fees, fund expenses, trading costs, and other hidden charges.
Asking the right questions to ask an investment advisor will protect you from unexpected fees and help you understand the true cost of advice.
4. Questions About Process & Communication
Knowing how an advisor operates and communicates helps ensure a smoother client experience.
11. What does your onboarding process look like?
Understand the first steps, data gathering, and how the initial plan is created.
12. How often will we review my financial plan?
Frequent reviews are crucial to ensure your strategy evolves with your goals.
13. Will I have access to a client portal or digital tools?
In 2025, digital access to financial data and reports is standard. It enhances transparency and convenience.
These questions for financial advisor meetings reveal how proactive and client-focused their service really is.
5. Questions About Investment Philosophy
Your advisor’s investment philosophy should align with your risk tolerance, timeline, and financial goals.
14. What is your investment strategy?
This includes asset allocation, rebalancing, diversification, and investment selection.
15. Do you lean towards active or passive investing — or a combination?
Different strategies come with different risks, fees, and expected returns.
16. How do you assess my risk tolerance and adjust my portfolio accordingly?
A good advisor uses more than just gut feeling — they use models and questionnaires.
These are some of the most crucial financial advice questions because they directly impact your long-term results.
6. Questions About Relationship & Support
You’re not just hiring a service; you’re building a long-term professional relationship.
17. Will I be working with you directly or a team?
Some advisors pass clients to junior staff. It’s good to know who’s handling your money.
18. Can you share testimonials or references from current clients?
If allowed, this offers insight into their working style and reliability.
These questions to ask your financial advisor will help you judge the advisor’s availability and client relationship dynamics.
7. Questions About Ethics & Security
Finally, it’s essential to establish that your advisor prioritises your best interests and protects your information.
19. Are you a fiduciary at all times?
A fiduciary is legally obligated to act in your best interest — not just some of the time.
20. How do you protect my financial data and privacy?
With cyber risks growing, secure data handling is more important than ever.
These are non-negotiable things to ask a financial advisor in the first meeting to ensure your financial and personal security.
Bonus Tips: Evaluating Their Answers
Asking the best questions to ask a financial advisor is just the start — knowing how to interpret their answers is key.
- Look for clear, jargon-free explanations.
- Be wary of vague or overly technical responses.
- Compare notes from multiple advisors before making a decision.
- Trust your instincts — if something feels off, it probably is.
The goal isn’t just to test their knowledge, but to assess how well they listen and communicate with you. With the complexity of financial planning in 2025, many advisers now rely on outsourced paraplanning services to maintain both quality and efficiency. Whether you’re working with a solo advisor or a full-service firm, it’s worth asking how their support team operates behind the scenes.
Final Thoughts
In an age of rapidly changing financial technologies, rising market uncertainties, and increasing consumer empowerment, asking the right questions has never been more critical. The 20 questions to ask your financial advisor shared in this guide are designed to help you feel informed, empowered, and confident as you evaluate your options.
A great advisor will not only answer your questions thoughtfully but will also be supported by a reliable team—whether in-house or via specialised solutions like a virtual paraplanner model. This ensures your financial strategy is executed with precision and care.
Your financial future deserves thoughtful planning. Make the most of your first meeting by coming prepared, asking boldly, and choosing wisely.
