Second to our health is perhaps our financial health, for it dictates our quality of life and important milestones like homebuying, raising a family or retiring. Having a good financial adviser is therefore of paramount importance. Unfortunately, the state of the financial advisory industry in Singapore is quite abysmal, with commissions being the primary mode of remuneration and tied agents still being a thing. Here are some tips on how to find yourself a good financial adviser. Do not think of tied agents as proper advisers Tied agents – or “financial advisers” who represent a single insurance company – have job titles like “financial consultant” on their name cards, but they are far from being proper advisers. To use an analogy, tied agents are like doctors who are limited to prescribing medicine from a single drug company. Not only are there significant...