Dear Quentin,

I was very interested in the letter from “Creeped Out” about using a friend as a financial planner (“It feels slimy: My friend offered to be my adviser, but didn’t tell me he’s paid to push financial products. Can I trust him?”). They were concerned both about risking the friendship and about whether the adviser was truly acting in their best interest. From my own experience, I would be very cautious about doing business with a friend.

A few years ago, I met someone while walking my dog. He also worked for a very prominent financial-planning company. I noticed that many people I know who use this company rave about how much they love their adviser, even though they often know very little about investing themselves. His firm seems exceptionally good at training advisers to build warm, personal relationships.