A number of organisations in addition to Moneymadeclear offer free impartial information on mortgages, pensions, loans or other money, tax or social issues. You can get this online, by phone and, in some cases, face to face.

There are a number of organisations offering free, confidential debt or money advice – online, by phone or face to face – to help you get back in control of your money.

There are many ways to find out about State benefits (including State pensions), tax and tax credits.

If you need help working out your priorities, our online financial healthcheck can help you. Just answer a few simple questions for a healthcheck report.

Some larger financial providers offer free financial planning services, but if they recommend a particular product, make sure they explain why.

Alternatively, you can get financial advice tailored to your own circumstances from banks, insurance companies, financial planners and financial advisers. You will generally have to pay for this service.

You can get financial advice (for example when taking out a mortgage, insurance or an investment product, such as a pension) from a variety of sources, but before you do, think about what you want. You could choose:

• someone to recommend a particular mortgage, insurance, pension or investment product based on your personal circumstances; or
• someone to give you information about different products and providers so that you can choose yourself; or
• neither of these - if you are happy to do your own research.

You can get legal information and advice from Community Legal Advice, through leaflets, a website and a telephone service.

If you need a solicitor, you can contact the relevant Law Society for where you live. They can help you find one specialising in the area of law that you need. Alternatively, your local Citizens Advice Bureau can help put you in touch with a solicitor.

You will usually have to pay unless you are eligible for legal aid.

If things go wrong and you need to make a complaint, see our If things go wrong guide for how to make a complaint and where to get help. You won’t usually have to pay for making a complaint.

People who help people with debt problems need a credit licence from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

Firms giving mortgage, insurance or investment advice in the UK have to be authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), and have to meet certain standards. Always make sure the firm you use is on the FSA Register. If they aren’t regulated by the FSA, you may not have access to complaints and compensation procedures if things go wrong.

The FSA may regulate, to a limited extent, banks or other firms from the European Economic Area if they are operating in the UK, so check the FSA Register to find out.

You should ask any EEA firm for information about its complaints and compensation arrangements, because the position may be different to that of a UK firm.

Solicitors must hold a practising certificate from their relevant regulator and comply with certain professional rules and standards. If you want to be sure, ask to see the certificate (which should be on display in the solicitor's office).

Make a list of all the people you owe money to (your creditors) and how much you owe. Find the original loan agreement, or the last statement or bill you’ve been sent. If you’ve been sent court papers or letters that seem urgent, get help straight away. You’ll also need proof of the income that you’re getting, such as your payslips or benefit statements.

The adviser will consider whether you can keep up the mortgage repayments now and throughout the term of the mortgage, for example after an initial discount period ends. They will base this on things like your income, expenditure and other circumstances, so be prepared to take along your payslip or other documents that show this.

Check what insurance cover you already have. Think about your medical history in case you need to disclose it, and also whether you’ve made any insurance claims in the past. Make sure you give the full facts when applying for insurance, because if you don’t, your policy may not be valid if you make a claim.

Try to be clear about what you want help with and what your aim is – do you want to save for your retirement or plan for the future? Consider how you feel about risk and make a list of the questions you want to ask.

You may need legal advice if you’re having problems with your landlord, are going through divorce or separation, buying a home, or dealing with someone’s money or death. Whatever the situation, have as much necessary paperwork as possible to hand and make a list of what questions you want to ask.

All agencies will discuss your situation with you and aim to work out a plan of action for you. Some will offer self-help leaflets or budget sheets, or if you’re having serious debt problems they can arrange a ‘debt management plan’. This means they’ll work up a plan to pay back the people you owe, at amounts that you can afford. They’ll also contact those people to let them know.

The mortgage adviser will give you details about the service they offer and what you’ll have to pay. Use this to shop around and get the service you want.

You’ll be asked questions so that they can be sure you can afford the mortgage and that it meets your needs and circumstances. They’ll give you details of any mortgage they recommend. You can use this to shop around and compare similar mortgages from other lenders.

If you don’t want advice, you can compare mortgages yourself using our Comparison tables.

The insurance broker will give you details about the service they offer and what you’ll have to pay. Use this to shop around and get the service you want.

You’ll be asked questions about what you want to insure, and the broker will give you details of the insurance policy offered. You can then use this to shop around and compare similar policies from other companies.

The adviser will give you details about the service they offer and what you’ll have to pay. Use this to make sure they’re offering advice on what you want, for example pensions, life insurance or other investments, and then shop around and get the service you want.

They will ask you questions about your financial circumstances, your goals for the future, and your personal circumstances, and they will recommend financial products that are suitable for you. They will give you their recommendations in writing.

You should take all relevant documents to the appointment. It will also be helpful to make a list of questions for the solicitor in advance. For some cases, for example if you’re buying a house, a solicitor will need identification from you before they can act. A solicitor must comply with certain professional rules and standards; for example they must give you certain information at the first interview.