A financial adviser is authorised by the regulator to give you a personal recommendation about your money, advice tailored to you that they are accountable for, not a tip. This page is the front door. If you already know which single problem you need solved, a specialist pillar serves you better; if not, start here.
What a financial adviser actually does
A good adviser rarely starts with a product. They start with your position, what you own, what you owe, what you want the money to do, then recommend how to get there. That means taking the decisions people find hardest to reverse: building a retirement income, weighing a defined-benefit pension move (where advice is legally required above £30,000), setting investments to a risk level you can live with, or trimming a future inheritance tax bill.
No adviser does all of that to the same depth. Beneath this front door sit thirteen specialisms, pensions, mortgages, tax, investments, later-life care and more, so part of the choice is finding the right specialist for the job. Every genuine adviser owes you the same duty: to act in your interest and explain why a recommendation suits you.
Independent or restricted: the distinction that matters most
Before you weigh qualifications or fees, settle one thing: is the adviser independent or restricted? Every UK adviser must tell you, because it defines the range of solutions they can offer. Our guide to choosing an adviser goes deeper; here is the split.
Restricted advice
- Limited to certain providers or product types.
- May offer only its own funds or a set panel.
- Not always worse, but the limit must be disclosed.
- Fine when its focus fits; poor when it does not.
Independent advice
- Considers products from across the whole market.
- Must review every option that meets your goals.
- No obligation to favour any provider or product.
- Usually the safer default when things are complex.
Whether you need one at all
A page that tells you when not to pay for advice is worth more than one that never does. If your finances are straightforward, a workplace pension building, some cash savings, no irreversible decision ahead, free guidance from MoneyHelper and a low-cost platform may be enough. An ongoing fee for a plan that barely changes is money wasted.
Advice earns its cost when things are complex, taxed or hard to undo, for example:
- You are near or in retirement and must turn pots into income.
- You hold a defined-benefit pension and are tempted to transfer it, usually irreversible.
- Your estate may exceed the inheritance tax thresholds, with pensions in scope from April 2027.
- A windfall, sale or inheritance you do not want to mishandle.
- Pensions, investments, mortgages and tax that nobody is joining up.
What it costs, and how we are paid
Advice is not free, and any adviser worth using will give the price in pounds as well as percentages. A percentage fee looks small against a large pot, so ask for the cash figure and what the ongoing fee buys each year.
How advisers typically charge in 2026
| How you pay | Typical shape | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Initial fee | ~1%–3% of the amount advised on | Research and setting up the plan |
| Ongoing fee | ~0.5%–1% a year | Ongoing management, reviews, rebalancing |
| Fixed fee | A set £ amount per task | A one-off job, a review or second opinion |
| Hourly rate | An agreed rate per hour | Discrete advice where a percentage is disproportionate |
Our guide to adviser fees and costs weighs the trade-offs. One cost you will not carry is ours.
Being introduced through us is free to you
Vetted Wealth is an introducer, not an adviser, we give information, never personal advice. Adviser firms pay us, so matching you with a vetted, FCA-regulated adviser costs you nothing. You still pay the adviser’s own fees, disclosed up front.
How we vet the advisers we introduce
Anyone can call themselves a financial planner; the protection is the regulation and record behind them. Before we introduce an adviser we check what you would struggle to verify alone: the full method is on how we vet advisers. It is also what to look for yourself.
- 1
FCA authorisation
On the Financial Services Register, so complaints reach the Ombudsman and the FSCS covers your money.
- 2
Independent or restricted, stated plainly
We record which up front, so you never guess how wide their options are.
- 3
The right permissions for the job
Some work, such as a defined-benefit transfer, needs specific permissions, we match adviser to decision.
- 4
A transparent fee schedule
Charges in pounds and percentages before you commit, no vague “discuss it later”.
- 5
A clean regulatory history
We check the firm’s authorisation history and whether anything on the record should concern you.
When you know what you need, you can be introduced to a vetted adviser in Devon or Cornwall, or see how it works.
Key takeaways
- A financial adviser gives regulated, personal recommendations: this page is the front door to thirteen specialisms.
- Independent advice spans the whole market; restricted advice is limited and must be disclosed, ask which you get.
- You do not always need one, simple finances may need only guidance; complex decisions are where advice pays.
- Expect roughly 1%–3% initial and 0.5%–1% a year ongoing, ask for the figure in pounds.
- Every adviser we introduce is FCA-regulated and independently vetted, and the introduction is free.
Where we operate
Vetted Wealth is live across Devon and Cornwall, with further counties opening through 2026. Choose your county to see the towns we cover and the advisers we have vetted there.
Most people start on their county page and then pick their town. If you would rather skip that, use the form on this page, tell us where you are and we will match you with a vetted financial adviser near you.
Popular towns
Learn more before you speak to anyone
Our Knowledge library is free, has nothing to sell you, and is written to be the clearest explanation of each topic on the UK web.
Speak to a vetted financial adviser
This page is information, not personal advice. When you are ready, we will introduce you to an independently vetted, FCA-regulated adviser, free, and with no obligation. Investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invest.