Where can I get advice?

Several providers offer advisors by phone, face-to-face or online. These advisors are not independent. They can only suggest which of their company's products are most suitable- and however much they dress it up- their job is to sell their company’s products to you, even if you can get something better elsewhere,

 

Some advisors are known as tied agents or introducers. They can only offer products from one company, and basically they only get paid for what they sell.

 

Independent financial advisors can give advice. Some exist on the commission paid by insurers; others charge t you a fee for their time. Even independent advisors have a narrow range of insurers they can offer you- as they can only deal with companies who allow them an agency, while some insurers only deal direct with the public.

 

A warning here, many people, in banks and supermarkets, may call themselves financial advisors, but they are rarely independent.

 

Another group of advisors are those known as multi tie agents. They are not fully independent, but are limited to a small handful of insurers