There are so many websites that offer different kinds of financial services that it's hard to tell the good ones from the bad ones. Some online companies will charge you by the hour to talk to a "professional" financial adviser. You can't really tell if these people know what they're talking about or if they're just reading from a script. Ask other people how they have dealt with the company you have chosen to help you with your finances. Always make sure the contact information is correct. If they give you an address, you might want to find out if it's a business or a home address. Call the number listed to see if it is a business, or call directory assistance to find out who the number is listed under.
Once you find a good online financial institution you can trust, you can pick and choose from their many services to meet your needs. Professional advisors can help you make a practical and personal plan for your finances, from your personal finances to your investments. They will tell you how to pay off and reduce your credit card debt quickly, how to invest your money in Bonds, Stocks, or Mutual Funds, how to save money for retirement, and even how to handle insurance and taxes. Again, these online financial planners are not all the same, so you should always get a second opinion. When it comes to money, you can't really learn by making mistakes.
Also, there is so much free information on the Internet that you won't have time to read it all. But a college student, not a financial genius, could have written these resources. Some articles may have been rewritten ten times since they were first written, and most of the important information would have been lost each time. Most financial websites have financial calculators like mortgage calculators, insurance calculators, and retirement planning calculators. Even though these tools are helpful, most of them are hard to use because some of the terms are hard to understand. More research will often make you more confused, which will make you more likely to make mistakes with your money.
