The following is a list of the different types of financial advisors.

Accountant - Accountants provide you with advice on tax matters and help you prepare and submit your tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service. All accountants who practice as Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) must be licensed by the state(s) in which they practice.

Estate Planner - Estate planners provide you with advice on estate taxes or other estate planning issues and put together a strategy to transfer your assets to your beneficiaries. Attorneys, accountants, financial planners, insurance agents or trust bankers may all provide estate-planning services.

Financial Planner - A financial planner is someone who uses the financial planning process to help you figure out how to meet your life goals. The planner can look at all of your needs including budgeting and saving, taxes, investments, insurance and retirement planning.

Insurance Agent - Insurance agents are licensed by the state(s) in which they practice to sell life, health, annuity and other insurance products. Financial planners may identify and advise you on your insurance needs, but can only sell you insurance products if they are also licensed as insurance agents.

Investment Advisor - Anybody who is compensated to provide securities advice must register as an investment advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission or relevant state securities agencies. Because financial planners often advise people on securities-based investments, many are registered as investment advisors.

Stockbroker - Also called registered representatives, stockbrokers are licensed by the state(s) in which they practice to buy and sell securities products such as stocks, bonds, annuities and mutual funds. They generally earn commissions on all of their transactions.