how does one find a financial advisor that is legit?

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And how much does this cost?

I have a severe lack of impulse control when it comes to money, I would say I have a legitimate addiction. Over the past few years, I've found that I just cannot trust myself with large amounts of money, I can't hold onto it to save my life. It disappears within days or even hours. I did well before I was employed and had a very limited income, but once I knew I could more or less count on a paycheck I became unable to control myself. My checking account with the bank either is shut down or is about to be, and I owe the bank over $800 in debt. Right now I have my paychecks being deposited elsewhere so that I still have access to what is needed to pay bills.

But that's enough explanation I guess. I just want to know where to even start with hiring a financial advisor. This was suggested to me, and honestly I definitely do think that I need someone to oversee my money and accounts for me since I seem incapable of doing it myself. Mainly I'm concerned about legitimacy and cost.

I actually have a friend who is also autistic who has someone who takes care of his finances, pays his bills, and gives him an allowance. It's odd to think that I also need that, but hey.... if I need it, I guess I need it.

I'm currently studying to become an accountant. At some point, I'll likely throw something together to help with the executive functioning aspects of actually using these sorts of plans.

What you're looking for is a fiduciary. Somebody who has a legal obligation to give you advice based upon what they're understanding of your needs is rather than on the commissions that they can make with certain investments.

The first place that I would look is at whatever banks you're using for holding your money. Those sessions are often times free as a way of encouraging clients to keep and grow their money at that institution. Just make sure that they are a fiduciary and not just and advisor. The difference can be significant when it comes to fees and performance.

It's worth noting that once you've got some sort of a plan in place that you probably won't need to meet with the advisor very often. Probably only a couple times a year tops, so long as you've been honest about your needs and have made a real effort at sticking to the plan.

If you get a plan from an actual expert, I'd be more than happy to help figure out how to actually use it as most of the implementation advice out there is garbage for people with executive functioning challenges. I think the only book I've seen that isn't complete garbage was the Automatic Millionaire by David Bach and even that is going to be hard to put into practice if you've got fluctuating income.

EDIT: It is also worth recognizing that nobody who doesn't either work for the bank you use needs to have access to account numbers and possibly even the specific amounts. (Although with the the amounts if you're hesitant to provide that, it's probably a sign to find somebody else)

You don't need a financial adviser. Those are people who's job it is to advise you on investments to make money with your money.. and you have no money to invest, so it would be pointless to pay someone for investment advice.

You need a fiduciary - someone to manage your basic finances. Pay bills out of your income, set aside savings, give you a small amount of cash to spend etc. That's the name for someone like that. You could also sign legal documents to give someone Power of Attorney over your finances. They would then take over the accounts and payments etc and act in your best interest. Usually it's a trusted family member. I have no idea if there are professionals that do this, but the title of "financial adviser," is not the type of professional you're seeking. Those people sell investments.

If you just want advice, here's mine: Stop spending your money on stupid crap you don't need. Pay your bills, save the rest. That's about what the advice would be from any adviser. But it seems what you need is someone in actual control of your income & payments. You'll have to select someone and then have them sign off on the legal and banking docs that will give them access to your accounts as well as make them legally obligated to act only in your best interest vs. steal or squander your money.

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