Working With an Advisor

A couple uses different controls connected to one shared observatory telescope, showing that different financial roles can still provide both spouses meaningful access.

Ross Marino | Jul 17, 2026

How Should Couples Choose a Financial Advisor When One Spouse Has Handled the Money?

One spouse may know the accounts better. The right advisor relationship should still give both partners a clear, usable place in the decisions ahead.

A counterweight supports an interconnected advisor relationship while separate objects represent services or costs outside the quoted fee.

Ross Marino | Jul 16, 2026

How Much Does a Financial Advisor Cost, and What Should the Fee Include?

Working With an Advisor

The quoted fee is only the first number. Compare the work included and other costs, then see whether the relationship fits what you need.

A colorful printing press combines several coordinated stages while specialists inspect and return the finished proof for review, illustrating how relevant experience becomes visible through the work performed.

Ross Marino | Jul 16, 2026

How Can You Tell Whether a Financial Advisor Has Retirement-Planning Experience?

Working With an Advisor

Retirement Income

A retirement label is easy to claim. See which records, examples, and working practices can show whether an advisor has relevant retirement-planning experience.

A tailor adjusts a well-made jacket on a dress form, illustrating how approaching retirement can call for a fresh review of an existing advisor relationship.

Ross Marino | Jul 16, 2026

Is Your Financial Advisor Still the Right Fit as Retirement Gets Closer?

Working With an Advisor

A long-standing advisor relationship may still deserve a fresh look before retirement. See what to review and what to clarify without presuming a change.

Three bright dimensional lenses are labeled Fee-Only, Fiduciary, and CFP®. Each lens reveals a different part of an advisor relationship: compensation, duty, or certification.

Ross Marino | Jul 16, 2026

Fee-Only, Fiduciary and CFP®: What Does Each Tell You About a Financial Advisor?

Working With an Advisor

Fee-only, fiduciary, and CFP® answer three different questions. Learn what each label confirms, what it does not prove, and what to verify next.

An older adult views three different colorful sculptures, each presented through an identical dark blue frame in a garden.

Ross Marino | Jul 14, 2026

How to Compare Financial Advisors: What to Ask and What to Verify

Working With an Advisor

Several advisors may look alike at first. Compare the same parts of each relationship. That process may make the decision feel more manageable without

Two adults approach the same circular room through different, equally welcoming entrances, representing each partner’s access to one shared advisory process.

Ross Marino | Jul 14, 2026

Choosing an Advisor as a Couple

Working With an Advisor

Family Support

A retirement advisor should help both partners understand the decisions ahead. Start with the work you need, then examine the service and relationship.

A woman directs a community theater rehearsal, illustrating how a capable decision-maker can define the support others provide.

Ross Marino | Jul 14, 2026

Choosing an Advisor When Single

Working With an Advisor

Family Support

Choosing an advisor as a single woman is about more than credentials. Learn how to compare the work behind the labels while keeping your voice in the process.

Financial planning boards arranged around a central workspace, representing how information, assumptions, and possible recommendations are brought together before the plan review.

Ross Marino | Jun 29, 2026

What Happens While Your Financial Plan Is Being Built

Working With an Advisor

After the records are gathered and before the plan review, less visible work begins. See how assumptions, scenarios, and recommendations are tested before the

Hands arranging small bowls of ingredients on a kitchen counter, representing the details that need to be gathered before a financial plan is built.

Ross Marino | Jun 29, 2026

Why the Details Matter Before Your Financial Plan Is Built

Working With an Advisor

Recordkeeping

A document may show the right number without explaining how the plan should use it. A careful follow-up can keep an assumption from being treated as a fact.