[RunDownHouse]

Jurollo,

While there are clowns in any profession, I think you're more likely to find reliable advice from a fee-only financial adviser as opposed to one who is commission based. Financial advisers through AmEx (I was one), Merril, Prudential, etc, all get paid by commission, so while there are plenty of good guys that will do their best, there's also plenty that will put you in a vehicle that may return a little less but give them better pay, so its sort of a crapshoot. Fee-only guys don't have the conflict of earning a living depending on what they sell, mostly, so its a better gamble.