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Ending relationships is never easy.The mere thought smacks of^[1] confrontation，hardship，betrayal，and a whole range of emotions most of us would rather avoid.

Still，the more you let a bad financial relationship linger，the more it costs you，literally.

When managing your affairs，remember one rule:Business is business.No matter your personal feelings for someone，he's gone if he can't do the job to your satisfaction.

Firing an advisor is easy if you suspect fraud，wrongdoing，or any sort of problem.You don't just dismiss the counselor in those cases，you file complaints and pursue legal remedies to get your money back.

But short of those extremes，there are plenty of times when advisory relationships just don't work out，when you feel let down by the goods and services offered，and you believe you would be better off working with someone else.If a relationship sours for any reason，the dismissal process is simple and straightforward.You may allow a final chance at redemption，but here are the steps to follow:

Step 1:Talk to your advisor

At the first sign of trouble when service does not jibe with^[2] your expectations tell the advisor your concerns.

If the advisor pooh-poohs them，remind him that“It's my money.”For that money，you deserve，at the very least，an explanation of why your expectations are not being met.If no explanation is forthcoming，you know the advisor isn't taking you seriously.

If that's the case，skip Steps 2 and 3 and go directly to Step 4.

Signs of an advisory relationship gone wrong

Your advisors work for you，and they should be responsive to your inquiries，needs，and issues.The following are all service-related reasons that show a problem in the relationship；if you have experienced even one of them，you should consider whether it was a“firing offense.”

·There is unexplained/unexpected account activity.

·You don't completely understand the advisor's actions.

·Promised services are not delivered.

·Charges and fees are higher than anticipated，or there are hidden costs you were unaware of.

·Key information is only revealed when questioned or when trouble is evident.

·The advisor expresses disappointment or anger over your decision NOT to follow some piece of advice.

·There are disagreements over core strategies/beliefs.

·There are unpleasant surprises.

·The advisor shows a lack of time and interest，as if he was more anxious to get you as a client than to serve you now.

·Your spouse or partner distrusts the advisor（especially if you picked the advisor，and the mistrust from your significant other has increased over time）.

·Your advisor is thinking only“inside the box”，so that your service is more one-size-fits-all than personalized for you.

·The advisor treats you more like an account number than a client or friend.

·The advisor fails to meet the expectations you set out during the hiring process.

Step 2:Redefine the relationship with your advisor

You have explained what the trouble is.Now set out to fix it.

Don't change your expectations，but make sure your hopes for the relationship are reasonable.It would be unreasonable to expect an investment advisor to deliver above-average market returns when you don't allow her to buy securities that take sufficient risk to deliver those gains；it would be reasonable for the planner or broker to suggest ways of diversifying risks and goosing yields without putting your financial future in jeopardy.

It is unreasonable to expect a tax preparer to cut your taxes by taking deductions he isn't comfortable claiming，but it is desirable to discuss all manner of deductions for which you qualify，even if a particular credit or benefit is worth just a few bucks.After all，it's your money.

You can even re-examine the basic levels of service being provided.If your insurance company raises premiums when they should be falling due to a clean driving record，consistently sends incorrect bills，and is just plain sloppy，you have a right to ask the agent to clear up the problems.You never would have anticipated these problems when buying coverage，and they are not the agent's fault，but if the agent won't go to bat for^[3] you and save you the hassle，you need to redefine the relationship.

If you no longer believe the advisor has the acumen^[4] to reach the investment targets you set together—and your unhappiness stems from the advisor's actions，and not from a downturn in the market that brings everyone down—then a change is in order.

Step 3:What to do before you fire your advisor

There's a bit of advance preparation before you fire an advisor.You may need to have records transferred or to take possession of some securities；you will want a place for those records and securities.

You may also need to be prepared to move some money around.Quit your brokerage firm，for example，and you may need to pull money out of mutual funds run by the house；even if you can keep the money in place while you search for a new advisor，you may not want to（since those investments may have been part of your problem with the broker）.Transferring assets is a pain；make sure you know the rules and can avoid screw-ups that could cost you at tax time.Learn the rules involved before making a change；get the necessary information so your new advisor—whenever he is hired—can help you move your money.

Once you are prepared and you don't see the situation getting better，it's time to…

Step 4:How to tell your financial advisor that he/she is fired

The moment you are not satisfied with an advisor's performance，start preparing for this action.For an advisory relationship to work，you must trust and have confidence in the advisor and her abilities；if either of those elements is gone，so too is the advisor.

You can't get out of your obligations—the listing contract with a real estate agent，the management fee with a planner，surrender charges^[5]on an annuity^[6] or the unexpired term of a bank certificate of deposit—but you can be out the door the moment it can be opened.Moreover，if you believe the situation is desperate，examine the cost of an early escape，such as paying early withdrawal fees，surrender penalties，or simply foregoing services that you paid for but no longer want；in some rare cases，it is worth making your changes at all costs immediately，rather than letting time compound mistakes.y the firm in writing，make the note short and say only that you no longer intend to use the advisor's services after a specific date，by which time you want possession of all monies^[7]，pertinent records，and paperwork.Even if you expect to file an arbitration case or a lawsuit，keep that out of your note；handle the business at hand and be as bloodless as possible.

Step 5:Hire a replacement financial advisor

Prospective new advisors should know you are coming out of a bad relationship；the troubles that led to the break-up should be key concerns，so describe what went wrong and lay out your expectations so that any new counselor knows they can meet your standards.

Make sure prospective new advisors know you are coming out of a bad relationship；express your concerns and describe what went wrong and what you expect from a new counselor.Ask how they would react in a situation like the one that ruined your last advisory relationship and whether they consider your expectations unreasonable.Be honest about the circumstances so an advisor can pull out of the running if you sound like her nightmare client.

Your new advisor should review the work of the departed player，keeping whatever is worthwhile.It's especially important to justify investment changes，as such decisions have tax consequences and may be motivated by self-interest（the new broker gets commissions when you sell the old stocks and purchase new ones，creating an incentive to say stocks purchased under your previous brokerage relationship were dogs）.

The new relationship comes with no guarantees that it will be better than the old one，but if you learn from experience and hire as recommended by experts，you should not have to go through many advisors to find one you can keep for a lifetime.

Leave the emotions and personal feelings out of your evaluations—if your advisor isn't doing the job and can't change her ways to make you happy，she has to go.Make a clean break and move on.

If the advisor deserves a second chance，give him a plan of action that，if followed，would make you satisfied or，even，happy with his services.If he can't follow the plan，give him the boot.

Don't let a bad experience turn you off completely to hiring advisors.If you need help—if your personal circumstances and knowledge have not changed and don't seem likely to make you a good self-advisor—then you still need help.Don't be bashful about getting it，just be careful.（1554 words）

The actual dismissal should be clean and concise.If you need to notif

Answer the following questions based on the text you have just read.

1.What rule should we follow when we decide whether to fire a financial advisor or not？

2.In what cases is it easy to fire an advisor？Why？

3.What should you do when you meet a person whom you want to hire as a replacement financial advisor？

Choose the proper one from four suggested answers marked with A，B，C and D to answer the questions or to complete the statements.

1.According to Paragraph One，which of the following statements is not true？

A.Some people regard ending relationships as betrayal.

B.The mention of ending relationships would usually bring us unpleasant feelings and unfavourable impressions.

C.In many cases，we are not inclined to end relationships for fear of causing unpleasant emotions.

D.The author advises us to try our best to avoid ending relationships.

2.Which of the following is not mentioned as a case in which we want to fire a financial advisor？

A.When the advisor is suspected of any fraudulent action.

B.When the advisor did something wrong.

C.When they file complaints about you.

D.When you feel disappointed with the goods and services offered by him or her.

3.What are you advised to do when you notice the first sign of trouble when the financial advisor's service does not go in line with your expectations？

A.Fire him.　B.Find a replacement for him.

C.Tell him your worries.　D.File a lawsuit against him.

4.When you don't completely understand the advisor's actions，you should________.

A.consult other experts or professionals

B.consider firing the advisor if he is not responsive to your consultations or inquiries

C.fire the advisor immediately

D.cut down on his commissions or fees

5.When your spouse or partner distrusts the advisor you picked，you should________.

A.spare time to explain your choice patiently

B.convince your spouse or partner of your advisor's ability and reliability

C.respect the idea and decision of your spouse or partner and consider firing the advisor