Editor s Note: As money evaporates from their retirement savings, many parents are turning to their kids for help. SmartMoney Senior Editor Beverly Goodman, an expert on investing and personal finance, embarked on Parents in Crisis, a special report for SmartMoney.com and the February issue of SmartMoney magazine, after observing the challenges her 65-year-old mother has been facing since the financial markets imploded in the fall.

As I tried to get my mom s finances back on track, we went looking for different financial advisers in search of one who would provide sound and empathetic advice. All this week on SmartMoney.com, I m sharing tips on what I ve learned over the years about finding the right kind of help at the right price.

TIP 1: Finesse the fees

You ll hear two terms when it comes to actually paying your adviser: fee-only and fee-based. Fee-only planners generally charge a flat fee; that can be a percentage of assets (1 percent is typical) or a fixed dollar amount. About 35 percent of all advisers fall into this category.

Fee-based advisers are paid through fees they charge you and/or from commissions from the mutual funds they put you in. Commission-only planners can be cheaper in the long run if you re truly a buy-and-hold investor, says Charles Roame, managing principal at consulting firm Tiburon Strategic Advisors. Just make sure those commission-based investing products are your best options for your portfolio, not the best for your adviser s wallet.

TIP 2: Size matters. Sort of.

Big firms whether they re fee-only or fee-based often have greater resources and greater economies of scale. That could mean an in-house estate planning attorney, for instance, or access to in-house research about stocks or funds you might want to buy. It s easier, though, for clients to get overlooked. If you need the extra attention but don t have a large enough portfolio to keep you front and center, consider a smaller firm.

TIP 3: All in the family?

Whether you take the advice of a planner affiliated with a fund company or not, keep an eye on the kinds of funds you re being steered into: There s little reason to have all your money in one fund family. That s not financial planning, says Jeff Tjornehoj, senior research analyst at Lipper. That s shilling for a fund company. No one fund company is best at everything, and by limiting yourself to a single fund firm you may be eliminating better options. Certain fund firms are best known for a particular type of investing American Funds and large-cap funds, for instance, or Janus and growth stocks. Stick to the kind of investing a fund firm is best known for. Simplification isn t an issue, either, since you should be getting a single statement from your planner.

TIP 4: Make it personal

Your financial planner should be a partner in every major aspect of your life, says Carol Anderson, founder of Money Quotient, a nonprofit that trains financial planners. That means you want to actually like this person, if only to the point you re likely to meet once or twice a year. Beware an adviser who does all the talking, and make sure your adviser is able to explain everything he or she is suggesting in a way you thoroughly understand. You need to be comfortable communicating with your adviser, be it about a small investing decision or a major life change.

Read our special report, " How to Help Your Parents Through the Crisis ," where Goodman shares the experiences -- and lessons -- of her efforts to help her mother.