Many professionals who offer investment advice will be happy to visit with you for free on the first visit. Take advantage of this willingness to get to know several potential advisors, at least, before you commit to any individual. They may all be good, but you need to find someone who clicks with you.

If you're getting investment advice from a professional, don’t be afraid to ask him or her what investment opportunities they believe in strongly enough to take advantage of themselves. Keep in mind, though, that those might not be appropriate to you, and discuss that possibility with them.

Investment advice is useless unless the advisor really knows something about you and your situation. Don't take a stranger's suggestion as gospel, especially if you didn't ask for it. While Berkshire Hathaway may indeed be an excellent stock to own, the typically small investor can't afford the $110,000 per-share price tag.