Financial advisers can be a great help in getting a handle on debt. They're experts at helping their clients get their finances in shape for today and the future, and managing debt is a key component of that puzzle.

A person overwhelmed with debt is like a person bleeding from an open wound; the first step is to stop the bleeding. A financial adviser can map out a client's cash flow and identify the problem areas.

The client should bring all relevant papers to the meeting to make sure the adviser gets the full picture. This includes bank statements, credit card bills, instalment loan statements, and pay stubs, tax returns for the past few years and anything else that may have an impact on the situation.

Some people might feel like its intrusive and hurtful to have a person they just met criticize their spending habits and past money decisions. For the meeting to be productive, a client needs to recognize that he's there to be told some hard truths.

Once the client gets past this obstacle, the financial adviser can draft a new balanced budget that covers the essentials while not adding more debt to the pile. This typically involves trimming off any unnecessary expenses, so any excess funds are available to pay down existing debt.

There are many different types of debt. Some are relatively benign, such as mortgages (low interest rate and full tax deductibility,) while others are downright toxic, such as credit cards with high interest rates and delinquent accounts generating penalty fees on top of exorbitant interest.

After analysing the client's debt, the financial adviser can proceed to prioritize the client's debts. The most expensive and delinquent accounts go on top, while the more modest ones go to the bottom. For example, if a client has $600 a month to pay off the existing debt in the new budget, the bulk of it should go to pay off the debts causing the most additional costs. It is important to continue making minimum payments on the lower-interest accounts too so that they don't backslide into the delinquent status and start racking up penalties.

The financial adviser also looks at the options for restructuring debt into more beneficial options. For example, a homeowner with equity in his property may be able to take out a second mortgage and use that money to pay off three credit cards in one fell swoop. The lower interest rate of the second mortgage then enables the homeowner to pay off a chunk of the new principal each month instead of just keeping up with the interest payments. Be prepared to make the phone calls yourself, though; most financial advisers just adviser their clients what to do, leaving the decision and control to the clients.

Another benefit of getting the debt under control is that the client's credit score suffers every month if they have a high-balance or delinquent accounts. As the new budget takes effect, the accounts become current and the balances gradually sink. His or her credit score increases accordingly, which opens the door to renegotiated terms with creditors (at lower interest rates) and may even lower seemingly unrelated things, such as insurance premiums.

The goal of meeting with a financial adviser isn't necessarily to help the client pay off all debt as quickly as possible. While the initial focus is debt reduction, there are often other considerations that arise once the immediate fires are put out. Each situation is different, and it's the financial adviser's job to take a holistic view to establishing a long-term plan suited to each client's specific needs.

For example, a person with dependents may need life insurance to provide for them in case of his premature death. The financial adviser may recommend paying down a couple of high-interest accounts first and foremost, but then slow down the debt payments to start a sturdy life insurance policy. The next step may be starting retirement savings account once a few more debts are fully paid off.

The client should leave the meeting with a written plan explicitly spelling out the course of action. Ideally, the financial adviser should provide milestones to check off and red flags to watch out for so that the client can check his progress and catch any potential missteps early.

The decision to hire a financial adviser should not be done lightly. Make sure that the person is indeed certified to give financial advice. The best bet is looking for a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). A Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) has less education, but he is also well-versed in personal finance and insurance. Membership in the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a good sign. It indicates he is a fee-only adviser, meaning that he doesn't receive kickbacks of any sort that could bias his advice.

Your financial adviser should also be a fiduciary. That means he is obligated to act in your best interest at every turn. GET IN TOUCH