A financial adviser can handle those tasks and more. The key, experts say, is to find one who can be the point person for a team of professionals, each with a specific expertise, such as an accountant, portfolio manager and attorney. Some financial advisers may be more knowledgeable about business matters, while others will be better suited to handle your personal finances.

"You need a cadre of professionals behind you with a financial adviser acting as a quarterback to coordinate everything, " says Michelle Maidt, principal of Carnegie Capital Advisors, a Charlotte-based wealth-management firm in Charlotte. "If you're a business owner, you're busy running your business, so financial matters often take a back seat, and you don't do what needs to be done. So you need a team of experts to run those other pieces for you."

But the team members need to act in tandem.

"There should be a relationship between them -- they call each other and talk when the need arises," says Al Winget, senior vice president of Wachovia Securities' Winget-Benton Group in Charlotte.

And while your business and personal finances are separate, keep in mind that "they dovetail with each other and interact with each other more than you expect," says John Gugle, a principal with Charlotte-based Alpha Financial Advisors.

Gugle suggest six factors to consider when choosing a financial adviser. He calls them The Six C's. They are:

• Certifications: Professional certifications indicate certain types of expertise and specialties, but they also demonstrate that the individual abides by ethical standards and participates in continuing education.  The relevance of a particular certification depends on what you are looking for. A Certified Financial Planner, or CFP designation, indicates a broader set of training than a Chartered Financial Analyst, or CFA, which is required for brokers and demonstrates competence in portfolio management and investment analysis. Some certified public accountants may specialize in financial planning.
• Competence: You want an adviser who has experience working with small-business owners and addressing their financial issues and delivering services that meet their needs.
• Compensation: Financial advisers are usually paid through fees or commissions. If you are paying commissions, the adviser makes money based on the number of transactions your account generates. An adviser working for a fee receives remuneration based on an established fee schedule regardless of the number of transactions.  Be sure to fully understand how your adviser is charging you, as well as any hidden costs, such as account maintenance fees, insufficient-balance fees, transaction costs and fund operating expenses.
• Conduct: Check the NASD Web site at www.nasdr.com to learn whether a prospective adviser has had any disclosure issues that would indicate improper or unethical conduct.
• Comfort: Are you comfortable with the adviser and feel a high level of trust? Says Winget: "Find someone with a temperament similar to yours. If you're a risk taker and the adviser isn't, it's not a good mix."
• Client references: Ask for the name of small-business owners who are clients so you can get a third-party perspective of the adviser's strengths and weaknesses. Also, ask your CPA or attorney for recommendations.