In todays market, it is tougher but not impossible to get a good return on ones investment. It has been said 83% of all people lose in the market. It was reported that 90% of these folks had a financial planner/advisor, that did not act in their best interests. I am not saying all financial advisors are bad and idiots, there just seems to be a bumper crop of them since the year 2000. What causes a financial advisor not to act for the good of their clients? Greed is the first and most apparent reason. I believe certain firms breed this behavior by pressuring the advisor into selling financial products that will yield the company well, but not the client. Listed below are some things to  help one identify a bad financial advisor.

1. Never returns your phone calls. This should be a red flag for anyone. It would indicate to me that  they either did foolish things with your money, or they lack the social grace and maturity to return a phone call, and should not be investing your money anyway.

2.Trying to sell you high load funds. A high load fund is a fund that charges approximatey 5% annually to "manage" the fund. If you think about it the fund would have to yield 5% just to break even. Looking less attractive isn't it?.

3. Trying to sell you 8-10 high load funds. They try to spin the con of being diversified. Yes one should be, but also spreading your money out to far your funds will have less buying power. Less power means slower growth. Being invested in 3-4 mutuals funds is enough diversification, and one will experience growth much faster. Anyone telling you other wise is either a idiot or just trying to get more trade fees.

4.An account churner. This is the practice of excessive trading on an account. The usual commission fee is 3-5%. I had a relative with $90,000 in their account, and $27,000 was burned up in commission fees. The advisor was pretty much daytrading, and profiting from the commissions, without regard for their client.

5.Any advisor that demmands total freedom. These egomaniacs want to do whatever they feel like with your hard earned money, and they want your blessing to do it!! It is your money, you will have a say in what investments. Run don't walk from these clowns.

One last thing, If you can read you can have the same knowledge that they have in investments. There is no mystical investment book, everything they read you can to, and should .