Q-and-A With Jonathan D. Pond: Annuities and Retirement Saving

The key to a successful relationship is the competence and responsiveness of your investment adviser, not his or her employer. So I wouldn’t recommend changing advisers solely based upon the brokerage firm getting into trouble or the adviser changing firms. On the other hand, if your adviser’s employer is in financial trouble, this may become a distraction for the adviser.

Keep in mind that some investment professionals jump ship because they are lured to another firm with fat bonuses. This would cause me a bit of concern lest the broker or adviser be under pressure to generate a lot of commissions to justify the signing bonus.

While the skills of your adviser are tantamount, you should also be comfortable with the new firm or the firm that your investment adviser now works for or uses to custody your investment holdings. With weekly revelations of investment chicanery, I think it is doubly important that your adviser work with a firm or custodian that is well-known and respected. It’s an additional comfort level during a very uncomfortable time for investors.

Finally, make sure you can and do periodically check on your holdings on the Internet. You should be able to go directly to the custodian’s Web site without your adviser’s assistance to make sure the statements you receive from your adviser are accurate.

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