Finding the right financial advisor.  Just a few years ago investors could throw a dart at the Nasdaq stock tables in the newspaper to pick a technology company that provided a 30 percent annual return.  No more.  Too many people now know that what they thought was stock-picking genius was just riding the wave of an unprecedented bull market.  When the bull turned bear, their investments capsized and people suddenly weren't feeling so smart and their financial futures that seemed secure were draped in doubt.

Today, many do-it-yourselfers are turning for help from financial advisers.  One study late last year by the Financial Planning Association showed nearly three in 10 consumers are more likely to seek professional help than a year earlier.  Financial pros not only help with investments but with planning for life events such as paying for a child's college costs, retirement, even dying.  Problem is, choosing an adviser can prove as difficult—and risky—as picking stocks.  Well-publicized scandals have shown that stock analysts got rich steering investors into bad stocks.  So, too, do many financial advisers have an incentive to steer clients into investments that return big commissions for themselves.

Because hiring the right adviser can be a dicey task, Paresco gathered the best advice for choosing a professional to help manage your money.

Range of services

Financial planners offer a variety of services ranging from hourly consultations about specific money issues to comprehensive financial plans.  The best advisers take time to teach their clients about finances and plainly explain their strategies for planning. Then the adviser and client together make money decisions.

There are two things most reputable planners hate to hear from clients:

''I'm hiring you to make me lots of money.''

''I don't know anything about finance, so I'm just turning everything over to you.''

Securities regulators warn against advisers who say they can provide sky-high returns or that you should give them your money and trust them.  Those could be signs that you're about to get fleeced.  Instead, the adviser should work as a partner, like a doctor who lays out the treatment choices for a patient.  Also be aware that financial planners generally don't help people drowning in credit card debt, nor do they counsel them on how to curb irresponsible spending.  That's more the role of credit counseling agencies.

Who needs 'em?

How much you need a financial adviser is directly proportional to how overwhelmed you feel by your financial life, experts said.  Maybe you're overwhelmed because you don't have the time to research what a Roth Individual Retirement Account is, let alone which investments you should hold in the account.  Maybe you received an inheritance or have a tricky tax situation.  Maybe you don't know if you have enough life insurance or need a long-term care insurance policy.  Or maybe you understand your finances pretty well, but would be comforted by a second opinion.  These all could be reasons to hire a financial adviser.

New clients of financial planners tend to be over age 30, when their lives have stabilized and they are more likely to have enough money to cause consternation.  They also tend to be younger than 65, so they have enough years left in their life to require planning.

A matter of trust

At its root, choosing an adviser is about trust—trust that the advice you're getting is sound and the adviser has your best interest at heart.  And it's about a comfort level you have in talking with the adviser.  Like hiring a contractor to remodel your kitchen, you should consider several advisers and interview them personally, experts said.

Though you might not be an expert on financial matters, trust your instincts, experts say.  If an adviser strikes you as shifty and tries to pressure you into a decision, go find another.  There are plenty.  Also pay attention to questions the adviser asks in the initial meeting.  Do they seem more interested in you and your goals and helping you solve your financial issues, or are they more interested in the latest thing they have to sell?