Reviewed by the advisory team at Greenway Financial Advisors Ltd. · Dublin · Updated July 2026
Choosing a financial advisor is an odd decision to have to make. With most things you buy, you can see what you are getting before you hand over any money. With financial advice, the thing you are buying is judgement — and judgement is hard to inspect from the outside. So people often end up choosing whoever a friend mentioned, or whoever called them first.
There is a better way to do it, and it does not require you to understand pensions or investments. It requires you to ask a short list of practical questions and know what a good answer sounds like. This guide walks you through exactly that. By the end you will know how to choose a financial advisor in Ireland with a lot more confidence, and you will be able to tell within one meeting whether someone is a good fit for you.
What a financial advisor in Ireland actually does
The job title covers a wide range of work. Some advisors only arrange one type of product, such as mortgage protection. Others look at your whole financial picture — income, tax, pension, protection, savings, investments and what happens to it all when you die — and build a plan around it.
In practice, a good advisor does four things:
- Finds out where you are now. Income, outgoings, debts, existing pensions and policies, and what your employer already provides.
- Finds out where you want to get to. Retiring at 60, buying a home, school fees, dropping to a three-day week — whatever it actually is for you.
- Tells you honestly what has to change to get there. Usually the least comfortable part of the conversation, and the most useful.
- Arranges and reviews the products that carry the plan. Then keeps checking they still fit as your life changes.
That third step is the one people underestimate, and it is where most of the value sits. Anyone can sell you a pension. The value is in someone telling you that your pension contribution is too low, that your mortgage protection is overpriced, or that the €40,000 sitting in your current account is quietly losing purchasing power every year. If you want a broader view of what financial planning covers before you start comparing firms, our financial planning services page sets out the full scope.
Step 1: Check the firm is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland
This is non-negotiable, and it takes two minutes. In Ireland, any firm giving advice on pensions, investments, life cover or mortgages has to be authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland. If a firm is not on the register, walk away — no matter how convincing the pitch is.
How to check the register
Go to registers.centralbank.ie, type in the firm’s name, and look at what comes back. You are checking that the legal entity name matches the one on the firm’s website and paperwork, and that the authorisation is current rather than revoked. Greenway Financial Advisors Ltd., for example, is Company No. 598403 and Registration No. C168372 — a legitimate firm will always put those numbers somewhere obvious.
A word of caution: scam operations sometimes copy the name and registration number of a real regulated firm. If you have any doubt, do not use the contact details in the email or advert that reached you. Look the firm up independently and phone the number on the register or the firm’s own website.
What the different authorisations mean
You may see a few different permissions listed. In plain English:
- Investment intermediary — can advise on and arrange investments and pensions.
- Insurance distributor — can advise on and arrange life cover, income protection, serious illness cover and similar.
- Mortgage credit intermediary — can advise on and arrange mortgages.
Most retail advisory firms in Ireland hold more than one of these. What matters to you is simple: does the firm hold the permission that covers the thing you want help with? If you want pension advice, the firm needs to be an authorised investment intermediary. A mortgage-only broker cannot advise you on your pension.
Step 2: Ask how much of the market they can access
Two advisors can both be fully regulated and still give you very different outcomes, because they are shopping in different-sized shops. This is probably the single most useful question you can ask, and almost nobody asks it.
Tied, multi-agency and whole-of-market
| Type | What it means | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Tied agent | Represents one product provider only. | The recommendation will always be that provider’s product, because there is nothing else to recommend. |
| Multi-agency | Holds agencies with a limited number of providers. | Fine, as long as the panel is broad enough to be meaningful. Ask how many and who. |
| Whole-of-market | Can research and recommend across the main providers in the Irish market. | Ask them to show you the comparison, not just the conclusion. |
You do not have to take anyone’s word for this. Every regulated firm must give you a Terms of Business document, and it has to state the basis on which the firm gives advice and which providers it holds agencies with. Ask for it before you commit to anything — a good firm will hand it over without being asked. Greenway’s is published openly on our terms of business page, and we work across Royal London, New Ireland, Standard Life, Zurich, Aviva and Irish Life.
Why “independent” is a loaded word in Ireland
You will see the word “independent” used loosely in advertising. It has a specific meaning in Irish financial services regulation, and a firm that receives commission from product providers is not permitted to describe itself that way. That does not mean commission-based advice is bad — it is how most advice in Ireland is paid for, and it means many people can get advice without writing a cheque up front. It just means the label is not a reliable shortcut for quality.
The more useful question is not “are you independent?” but “how many providers can you actually place this with, and can you show me what else you looked at?”
Step 3: Understand exactly how they get paid
There is nothing awkward about asking this. Regulated firms in Ireland are required to be upfront about remuneration, and every firm must publish a summary of its commission arrangements on its website. Greenway’s is on our remuneration page. If you cannot find a firm’s version of that page, that is worth a question.
The three ways advisors are paid
- Commission — the product provider pays the advisor when you take out a product, and often pays a smaller ongoing amount each year while the policy is in place. You do not write a separate cheque, but the cost is built into the product charges.
- Fees — you pay the firm directly, usually an hourly rate or a fixed project fee for a plan.
- A mix — a fee for planning work, with commission on any products arranged, sometimes offset against the fee.
None of these is automatically better. What matters is that you know which one applies, what it costs in euro rather than percentages, and whether there is anything ongoing. Two follow-up questions are worth asking every time: “What happens to your payment if I cancel in year two?” and “What do I get each year in return for the ongoing commission?” If the honest answer to the second is “not much”, you now know something useful.
Step 4: Check qualifications and real-world experience
Anyone advising you on a financial product in Ireland has to meet the Central Bank’s minimum competency standards and keep their knowledge current through continuing professional development every year. Beyond that baseline, qualifications tell you where someone has gone deeper.
The letters after the name
- QFA (Qualified Financial Adviser) — the core Irish qualification covering pensions, investments, life assurance and regulation.
- RPA (Retirement Planning Adviser) — a specialism in pensions and retirement income.
- SIA (Specialist Investment Adviser) — a specialism in investments.
- CFP (Certified Financial Planner) — an internationally recognised financial planning qualification, focused on whole-of-life planning rather than any single product.
Qualifications are the floor, not the ceiling. Experience with people like you matters just as much. A company director with a self-administered pension and a shareholder agreement has very different needs to a couple in their thirties buying a first home. It is entirely reasonable to ask: “How many clients do you look after in a situation like mine?”
Step 5: Judge the process, not the product
Here is a reliable tell. A good advisor spends the first meeting asking questions. A weak one spends it describing a product.
What a proper advice process looks like
A firm doing this well will take you through four stages, and you should be able to see all four happening:
- A fact-find. A structured conversation about your income, outgoings, debts, existing policies, family situation, employer benefits and goals. It should feel thorough, possibly slightly tedious.
- An attitude-to-risk assessment. A discussion about how much investment ups and downs you can genuinely live with — not just financially, but in terms of sleeping at night. If you want to see what one looks like, we have an attitude to risk questionnaire on the site.
- A written recommendation. In Ireland this is called a Statement of Suitability, and you are entitled to it. It sets out what is being recommended and, crucially, why it suits you specifically. Read it. If it could have been written for anybody, that is a problem.
- A review schedule. Your circumstances will change. Ask how often you will be reviewed, whether it costs anything, and what the review actually involves.
If any of those four stages is missing, you are being sold to rather than advised. Our simple financial planning framework walks through how these pieces fit together.
Step 6: Match the advisor to what you actually need
Not everyone needs the same depth of advice. Being clear about your own situation makes it much easier to find the right fit.
| If you are… | Look for someone strong in… |
|---|---|
| In your twenties or thirties, starting out | Budgeting, mortgage readiness, first pension, income protection |
| An employee with a company pension | Employer scheme rules, AVCs, tax relief, fund choice |
| Self-employed or a sole trader | Personal pensions and PRSAs, income protection, tax planning |
| A company director or business owner | Employer pension funding, corporate structures, succession, key-person cover |
| Within ten years of retiring | Retirement income options, tax on drawdown, estate planning |
If you are in the last group, our guide to how much you need to retire in Ireland is a good place to start before you talk to anyone.
Step 7: Know what protects you if something goes wrong
Using a regulated firm gives you two protections that are worth understanding before you need them.
The Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman
If you have a complaint you cannot resolve with the firm directly, you can bring it to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO). The service is free to consumers, and the Ombudsman’s decisions are legally binding on both you and the firm, with appeal only to the High Court. For financial services complaints the FSPO can direct compensation of up to €500,000, and there is no limit on directing a firm to put a problem right.
The Investor Compensation Scheme
Separately, the Investor Compensation Scheme protects you if an authorised investment firm goes out of business owing you money or investments it was holding. It covers 90% of your net loss up to a maximum of €20,000. Note what it does not cover: it is not protection against an investment simply performing badly. Markets going down is a risk you carry, and any advisor who suggests otherwise is not being straight with you.
It is also worth knowing that the rules advisors work under were significantly updated this year. The Central Bank’s revised Consumer Protection Code came into force on 24 March 2026, tightening requirements around acting in customers’ interests, supporting customers in vulnerable circumstances, and keeping regulated and unregulated activities clearly separate.
Red flags worth walking away from
- You cannot find the firm on the Central Bank register, or the details do not match.
- Pressure to sign today, or an “offer” that expires this week.
- A product recommendation before anyone has asked about your circumstances.
- Vagueness about how they are paid, or irritation at being asked.
- Guaranteed returns, or returns described as “risk-free” but well above deposit rates.
- A Statement of Suitability that reads like a template.
- Contact out of the blue about an investment opportunity, particularly by phone or social media.
- Being asked to transfer money anywhere other than directly to a recognised product provider.
Ten questions to bring to a first meeting
Print these, screenshot them, whatever suits. You do not need to ask all ten, but the answers to any five will tell you a great deal.
- What are you authorised by the Central Bank to advise on?
- Which providers do you hold agencies with?
- How are you paid on what you are recommending to me, in euro?
- Is there ongoing commission, and what do I get for it each year?
- What qualifications do you hold, and how long have you been advising?
- How many clients do you look after in a situation like mine?
- What does your advice process look like from here?
- Will I get a written Statement of Suitability explaining why this suits me?
- How often will we review this, and what does a review involve?
- What would you tell me to do if I did not buy anything from you today?
That last one is the most revealing question on the list. A good advisor will have an answer.
Taken together, those seven steps are really all there is to knowing how to choose a financial advisor in Ireland. Regulated, honest about the market they cover, honest about how they are paid, properly qualified, and running a real advice process. If a firm clears all five, the rest comes down to whether you like talking to them — which matters more than people expect, because this is a relationship you will hopefully have for decades.
What happens in a first meeting with Greenway
An initial meeting with us is free, and there is no obligation attached to it. We spend it listening — to what you have, what you are worried about, and what you want your money to do. You will leave with a clear view of where you stand and what your options are, whether or not you decide to work with us afterwards.
We are a Dublin-based firm working across the main Irish providers. You can find us on the contact page if you would rather phone or email first. If you want to understand why professional advice tends to pay for itself over time, our article on why financial advice matters makes the case in plain terms.
Thinking about talking to an advisor?
Book a free initial meeting with a Greenway financial adviser. No jargon, no pressure — just clear guidance built around your situation.
Related reading: Why financial advice matters · A simple financial planning framework · How much do I need to retire in Ireland?
This article is general information for the 2026 tax year and is not personal financial advice. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change. Greenway Financial Advisors Limited. Regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Registered No. C168372. 277 Clontarf Road, Dublin 3 · (01) 853 2727 · Company No. 598403.