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Retirement Made Simple

Retirement Made Simple

5 Questions to Ask Before Trusting a Financial Advisor With Your Money

Aug 31, 2026 · 15 min · 10 segments

Selecting a Financial Advisor Guide ✅ https://foundryfinancial.net/guide-to-selecting-a-financial-advisorMost people have no idea what to ask when evaluating a financial advisor, and that gap could be…

Selecting a Financial Advisor Guide ✅ https://foundryfinancial.net/guide-to-selecting-a-financial-advisorMost people have no idea what to ask when evaluating a financial advisor, and that gap could be costing them more than they realize.Zach Holcomb from the Foundry team has had hundreds of conversations with people who are exploring their options, and he's distilled it all into five essential questions that reveal whether your advisor is actually equipped for retirement, not just accumulation.Here's what most people don't consider: the advisor who helped you build wealth may not be the right person to help you spend it strategically. Growing a portfolio and managing retirement income are fundamentally different jobs, and many advisors haven't made that shift.In this video, Zach walks through a complete scorecard you can use on any advisor, including the Foundry team. The five questions cover how your advisor leads meetings, how they get paid, whether tax planning is handled in-house or passed off, how you feel walking out of every meeting, and whether they're willing to tell you things you don't want to hear.That last one? Almost nobody thinks to ask it, and it might be the most revealing question of all.

Selecting a Financial Advisor Guide ✅ https://foundryfinancial.net/guide-to-selecting-a-financial-advisorMost people have no idea what to ask when evaluating a financial advisor, and that gap could be…

Speakers: Zach HolcombGuestKevin LumHost

Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube Amazon Music Website

Top entities: Foundry×10 YouTube×5 Certified Public Accountant×2 Finance Roth IRA×3

Show signals: SuitabilitySafeBiasNot politicalAudience≈225k followers

Evaluating Financial Advisors0:01 – 1:18

0:01

Hey, welcome to another episode of Retirement Made Simple.

0:04

I'm your host, Kevin Lum.

0:05

I'm a certified financial planner based in Los Angeles, and this podcast is dedicated to helping a million people retire without worry.

0:15

As a quick reminder, every episode here comes straight from our YouTube channel, so this is just the audio so you can listen while you're walking, driving, or living

Zach HolcombGuest

0:23

your life.

Zach HolcombGuest

0:26

Let's dive in.

0:27

I had someone call her office the other day and she was interviewing multiple financial advisors and I just happened to pick up the phone.

0:34

And in the middle of the call, she said, I am overwhelmed.

0:38

I have no idea what to ask.

0:40

Well, if that's you, if you sympathize with that feeling, you're in luck because today we're going to give you the exact questions you need to ask when you're evaluating a financial advisor.

0:52

So today I'm handing the video over to Zach Holcomb from our team here at Foundry.

0:56

And I asked Zach to do this video because if you were to reach out to Foundry, he is often the first person you'll meet.

1:02

So he's literally had hundreds of conversations, maybe thousands of conversations with people who are exploring working with different financial advisors, and he's compiled the five key questions you have to ask, and they're excellent questions.

1:17

Zach, take it away.

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FoundryCompanyCompany
94%10 mentions
YouTubeWebsiteVideo sharing company
83%5 mentions
Certified Public AccountantEntityJob title
72%2 mentions
FinanceEntityAcademic discipline
61%1 mention
Roth IRAEntity
50%3 mentions
Los AngelesCityCity in California
39%1 mention
Required minimum distributionEntity
28%1 mention
Individual retirement accountEntity
17%1 mention
AppleCompanyTechnology company
6%1 mention

Advisor EvaluationFinance > Financial Planning > Retirement Planning
Advisor SkillsFinance > Financial Planning > Retirement Planning > Advisor Evaluation
Investment StrategiesFinance > Investment > Investment Advisors
Advisor RolesFinance > Investment > Investment Advisors > Investment Strategies
Proactive Tax PlanningFinance > Tax Planning > Retirement Tax Strategies
Advisor ResponsibilitiesFinance > Tax Planning > Retirement Tax Strategies > Proactive Tax Planning
Comprehensive PlanningFinance > Financial Advice > Types of Financial Advisors
Client CommunicationFinance > Financial Advice > Types of Financial Advisors > Comprehensive Planning
Spending in RetirementFinance > Retirement > Retirement Income
Financial Advisor AssessmentFinance > Retirement > Retirement Income > Spending in Retirement
Financial PlanningFinance
Retirement IncomeFinance > Retirement
Financial AdviceFinance
Tax PlanningFinance
Retirement PlanningFinance > Financial Planning
InvestmentFinance
Retirement Tax StrategiesFinance > Tax Planning
Investment AdvisorsFinance > Investment
RetirementFinance
Types of Financial AdvisorsFinance > Financial Advice
Finance

Evaluating Financial Advisors0:01 – 1:18

0:01

Hey, welcome to another episode of Retirement Made Simple.

0:04

I'm your host, Kevin Lum.

0:05

I'm a certified financial planner based in Los Angeles, and this podcast is dedicated to helping a million people retire without worry.

0:15

As a quick reminder, every episode here comes straight from our YouTube channel, so this is just the audio so you can listen while you're walking, driving, or living

Zach HolcombGuest

0:23

your life.

Zach HolcombGuest

0:26

Let's dive in.

0:27

I had someone call her office the other day and she was interviewing multiple financial advisors and I just happened to pick up the phone.

0:34

And in the middle of the call, she said, I am overwhelmed.

0:38

I have no idea what to ask.

0:40

Well, if that's you, if you sympathize with that feeling, you're in luck because today we're going to give you the exact questions you need to ask when you're evaluating a financial advisor.

0:52

So today I'm handing the video over to Zach Holcomb from our team here at Foundry.

0:56

And I asked Zach to do this video because if you were to reach out to Foundry, he is often the first person you'll meet.

1:02

So he's literally had hundreds of conversations, maybe thousands of conversations with people who are exploring working with different financial advisors, and he's compiled the five key questions you have to ask, and they're excellent questions.

1:17

Zach, take it away.