Financial Planners

We are looking for a financial planner and in doing research on JPV Financial inc of Gurnee, Il we have searched BBB, cfp board and adviserinfo and have found nothing.
Should that put up a red flag?

Terry Says:  Well, here’s how I searched and yes, what I found did raise red flags! To search the records of an investment advisor you need to go to:  www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.   There I did a search for JPV — and found they are one of a half dozen companies registered under the name of Sequoia Wealth Management.  So that’s a flag to me. Why do they have so many different investment firms named under one adviser?!   I checked their SEC filings and you can do that, as well.  I couldn’t find any record of SEC actions that they have disclosed on their investment advisor forms. But in their forms, they DO SAY that they are NOT Financial Planners!  They sell investments!

So that is my big red flag.  If you want a true financial plan, go to a fee-only financial planner.  Search at www.feeonly.org.  Or go to www.PlannerSearch.org (the website of the Financial Planning Association).