Gary wrote:
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Gary,
If those are your specific questions you might consider going to a CPA,
one who does this kind of tax planning. Ultimately these questions
depend a great deal on your overall tax picture, your anticipated income
in future years, etc etc. While many advisors give some kind of tax
advice you might as well find someone for whom it's a specialty. I've
seen some messed-up Roth analyses done by financial advisors who lacked
a tax credential - two that come to mind were from a big-name wirehouse
brokerage firm, and would have been expensive if not reversed.

If you can't get a referral, perhaps look up a directory of someone in
your area with the "PFS" credential...those are CPAs with a
financial-planning add-on credential. It's not required but could narrow
the list of possible people to call.

-Tad

Gary -

Elle has it right. Handling IRA's and other quantifiable decisions is
something you can do for yourself - it's much simpler than, say,
writing your own Will. The IRS regulations are usually very clear - you
just have to read carefully, several times, to become familiar with
them. Whichever way you go, you will have to get specific with numbers,
and that's the first thing an advisor will want to look at.

The larger question about how to find an advisor is interesting. As far
as I know, these guys work with each other and establish their referral
contacts - those working in a partnership may have in-house coverage of
the areas - the best have two degrees, usually law with CPA. The
interaction between legal and financial usually means estate planning
and more complex issues - such as Wills, business succession planning,
partnerships, and so forth.

Your stockbroker, for example, should be able to refer you to a CPA or
law firm for issues that are too complex for him to resolve, or too
lengthy to answer in-house. Beyond that, I usually start with the
Yellow Pages. How many years have they been in business, what areas do
they cover, what is their principal line of business - those are
fundamental questions - the better ones are usually rewarded with
success, stable clients, and favorable reputations, but it is not
necessary to pay top dollar for readily available standard advice.

Usually meeting with someone in person will answer your questions as to
their competence and more importantly, whether you feel comfortable
communicating with them, feel that they understand your issues and
concerns, both personally and professionally, and have time and
attention for you.

On Fri, 7 Apr 2006 11:30:39 -0500, "Don" <dwzimm[at]telus.net> wrote:

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http://www.feeonly.org to start.

(No, this isn't my site)

"Gary" <gary_w1[at]hotmail.com> wrote
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I think you could get very good advice on this topic right
here at no charge. Also, the internet has many calculators
and sites which discuss when it's a good idea to convert
Traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs, and restrictions on the
same. The general rule for the latter is that, if one
expects one's tax bracket to be higher in retirement, and
one has the cash in a separate, non-retirement account to
pay the taxes on the conversion, then conversion is the way
to go. Google for {IRA Roth Traditional conversion
calculator}. The concepts are not difficult, as long as one
has decent math skills and understands the notion of
compounding returns on investments.

As for 401(k)s, they may either be rolled over (or not) to a
Traditional IRA after terminating employment. After getting
the 401(k) assets into a Traditional IRA, then you can
consider converting the assets to a Roth IRA, per the above.

At a minimum, discussing the specifics of your situation
here may save you time and so money with any advisor with
whom you ultimately do meet.

"Gary" <gary_w1[at]hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:4frc321md4fq40c86qqughrbrlsgjaln1o[at]4ax.com...

- quote -

An excellent rule of thumb is to find an advisor who charges you a
substantial fee for the service provided. If that notion grates on your
nerves at first, stop and think about it. If you do not pay the advisor for
the advice, who does? Remember the adage "He who pays the piper calls the
tune."

I need financial advice...NOT what to invest in; rather whether to
convert IRAs and 401Ks to Roth IRAs, etc.

How do I go about finding a good advisor in my area that can "run the
numbers" and, hopefully, not soak me too much in the process? What
questions do I ask (about his/her qualifications)? Whose
recommendation do I ask for?