How to find a financial adviser in the UK: the honest options

For a one-off question about your pension options, free guidance may be all you need: MoneyHelper's Pension Wise service gives free, impartial appointments to people aged 50 or over with a defined contribution pension. Guidance explains your options; it does not tell you what to do.

Regulated advice is different. An adviser looks at your whole situation and recommends what you should do, and is accountable for that recommendation. If something goes wrong, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Personal recommendation. Still how most people find an adviser. It tells you someone was happy, not whether the adviser specialises in your situation, so still run the checks below.

MoneyHelper's retirement adviser directory. Free and government-backed, it lists firms that offer retirement advice and lets you filter by location and by the services they provide.

Matching and review sites. Unbiased matches you with an adviser based on what you need; VouchedFor lists advisers with ratings from their own clients. Both are free to use and are paid by advisers.

RetireReady. You answer a few minutes of questions and get a personal report showing where you stand against national retirement benchmarks. If you want to go further, we introduce you to an FCA-regulated adviser for a free first call. The report is yours either way, and RetireReady never charges you.

Check the FCA Register. Every firm giving regulated financial advice must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, and the individual adviser should appear on the register too. It is free and takes two minutes at register.fca.org.uk. If a firm is not there, walk away.

Ask how they charge, in writing, before any work. Advisers must tell you their fees up front. Ask whether they are independent (they can recommend products from across the market) or restricted (they recommend from a narrower range), and what the ongoing fee buys you each year.

First meetings are usually free. A good adviser will ask more than they tell, explain how they are paid, and set out in writing what they would propose and what it would cost. You should never be asked to sign anything or move money in a first meeting.