The fees charged by independent financial advisers and investment managers can have a significant impact on the return earned on your investment.
Independent financial advisers usually charge commission or a fee for the advice they give.
Commission may be a way of hiding advisers' fees. This is because the investment manager pays this directly to the adviser as a percentage of the value of your investment. But any commission paid out will reduce the return on your investment.
Fees are usually paid on an hourly basis or fixed in advance before the adviser carries out the work.
The fees charged by investment managers are many and varied and can be quite complex. However you can ask your financial adviser to explain how they work, so that you have a basic understanding of all the investment fees associated with your investment and how these affect the price you pay for your investment.