I'm confused about an element of this podcast. Toward the end, listeners are advised to seek out an independent financial adviser to compare mortgages. If you read the original Motley Fool Investment Guide book, it drums into the reader that each time you see "IFA", you're to put "salesman" in brackets afterwards to remind yourself that they may be offering you the product which gives them the most commission, rather than one which gives you the best deal, and encourages the reader to do a lot of the legwork themselves.

Has the Fool changed its ideas now that it is offering mortgages itself?

Hi Bobfruit - One of my tips that i am very passionate about when it comes to finance is "shop around". I totally agree that you have to be very careful when you do this, getting advice from just one Independent finanical advisor is not good enough nowadays!

You have to make sure that they are " whole of market ". But are they? Majority of them are just a representation of whole of the market!

Hopefully with all the FSA regulations that are in place and the way that the broker has to conduct their business and provide evidence of his recommendations the days of going for a deal that pays a higher commission is long and gone, and if there were anybody still doing this they will get caught out eventually.

There is nothing wrong in getting a few brokers to source the mortgage for you and to do all the leg work, see what results they come back with. Ask them "why" they have recommended these products