Your first advisor meeting does not require you to know product language. It requires enough information to describe your position and the decisions you want help with.
Bring a simple financial snapshot: income, spending, debts, savings, employer benefits, dependants and current products. Add three near-term priorities and one concern. Missing information can stay marked as missing; an honest gap is more useful than a guess.
Use the meeting to understand the advisor as well. Ask about the FSP, scope, relevant experience, provider relationships, fees and what happens after advice. A first conversation should involve discovery before any pressure to sign.
Prepare these questions
- Which problem should we address first, and why?
- What information is missing before a recommendation can be suitable?
- How are you paid?
- What will I receive in writing?
- Which work falls outside your scope?
Try this now
End the meeting by writing the next three actions, owner and date. Separate “send a document” from “make a financial decision”.
A strong first conversation should make your choices clearer and leave you with records you can understand later.