Fee-only financial and investment advisors in Kolkata

A fee-only advisor can help create a consolidated family balance sheet across companies, property, direct equity, mutual funds, deposits, and insurance. That gives the family a cleaner base for decisions. HUF, succession, and partition questions still need a CA and lawyer alongside the advisor.

Yes, if the advisor is looking at the whole balance sheet and not trying to replace your stock selection. They can help decide how much direct equity risk is sensible, how much should sit in debt or mutual funds, and whether goals like education, retirement, or property purchase are too exposed to market swings.

First separate the legal work from the financial decision. A lawyer handles title, succession, and mutation. A CA handles tax. A fee-only advisor can help compare the financial impact of holding, renting, or selling the property and coordinate the plan around the legal timeline.

Start with active SEBI RIA registration. Then ask whether the advisor has worked with your type of situation: direct equity concentration, inherited property, HUF assets, business-family wealth, or NRI heirs. Ask for a sample engagement letter and fee schedule before you commit.

Convert them to demat. Listed companies no longer register transfers of shares held as paper certificates, so they can't be sold until they are dematerialised, and dividends left unclaimed for seven years, along with the shares behind them, move to the government's Investor Education and Protection Fund (IEPF).

The request goes through your depository participant to the company's registrar. Lost certificates or a deceased holder need extra documents, and shares already moved to the IEPF can be claimed back with form IEPF-5. An advisor can list what the family holds and fold it into the plan.

In India, "financial advisor" is not a protected title: a mutual fund distributor, an insurance agent or a bank relationship manager can all use it. A SEBI-registered investment adviser (RIA) is registered under the SEBI (Investment Advisers) Regulations, 2013, and has a registration number that starts with INA.

An RIA has to act in your interest, put the scope and fee in a written agreement and can't take commission on what it recommends to you. A fee-only financial planner in Kolkata who recommends specific funds or shares needs this registration too.

Start with the list on this page: every advisor on it holds a SEBI registration we checked on 30 Oct 2026. You can also search SEBI's register of investment advisers by name or INA number; it shows the registered address but not the fees or the kind of clients an advisor takes.

Shortlist two or three, ask each for their fee schedule and a sample advisory agreement, and take an intro call with each before you decide.

No. SEBI's rules are the same everywhere in India, and most fee-only advisors, including Foliyo, hold reviews over video calls and share documents online. A local advisor helps if you want to meet in person, or when the plan depends on something in the city itself, such as a flat you are buying or family property. If in-person meetings matter to you, ask about them on the first call.

Most SEBI-registered advisors charge in one of two ways: a flat fee, typically ₹25,000 to ₹1,00,000 a year depending on how much work your situation needs, or a share of the money they advise on, typically 0.5% to 1% a year. SEBI caps the fee at ₹1,51,000 a year per family in the flat-fee mode, or 2.5% a year of the assets under advice. GST at 18% is added on top.

Some advisors also charge a one-time fee for a financial plan, and a family with ESOPs, overseas assets or a business usually needs a broader engagement than one that wants a mutual fund review. Ask for the scope, the fee and the exit terms in writing before you pay.

Advice that costs nothing up front is usually paid for by commission inside the product: typically 0.5% to 1% a year on a Regular mutual fund plan, and more on many insurance policies. On a ₹50 lakh portfolio, 1% is ₹50,000 a year, every year.

A fee-only advisor charges you directly and takes no commission, so you can see what you pay. Many offer a free first call; Foliyo's intro call is free and there is nothing to sign.

Write to the advisor first: every RIA has to name a grievance officer in its agreement and on its website. If the reply doesn't settle it, file a complaint on SEBI's SCORES portal (scores.sebi.gov.in). If you are still not satisfied, you can take the dispute to online conciliation and arbitration through the Smart ODR portal (smartodr.in).

Investment advisers are also supervised by BSE Administration & Supervision Ltd (BASL). SEBI's Eastern Regional Office is in Kolkata, but you don't need to visit it: complaints are handled online.

Foliyo checks registration, fee model, documents, and whether the advisor's process fits the user's requirement. Listing is a screening step, not an endorsement or a performance promise. Reconfirm the advisor's SEBI status before signing. We list only advisers whose website we could find and whose background we could check on it or in a published profile.

Yes. Many people come to us while still working with a distributor. A fee-only adviser can review what you hold, give a second opinion, help you move to Direct plans gradually or take over the planning. The intro call is a good place to talk through your current setup; you don't have to change anything straight away.