In terms of investment advice as someone in the industry i can tell you 99% of financial planners know nothing about INVESTING. They know nothing about portfolio contruction and making strategic asset allocation decisions.
If you go to a planner looking for financial advice be sure they have a professional and credentialed investment manager who controls the process. If the planners are the ones picking the funds or setting up the process/method of determinig what direct stocks to invest in and when to BUY, SELL, HOLD, when to review portfolios etc etc you aren't going to get a good outcome. Also, never go to a bank affiliated planner. They will put you in bank affiliated funds for the commissions when they are not necerssarily the right funds for you.
Back on topic. If you can find a good planner it is worthwhile. Especially if they take a holistic view of your entire position. A good firm will look at your tax, estate/retirement planning, personal insurances, superannuation, salary packaging, finances and investments and will have the necessary expertise to bring this process together for the best outcomes. Planners are essentially sales people with accounting backgrounds. They are great at tax planning, but a good planning firm will defer to an investment professional to make "investment decisions"
