I wouldn't be retired now if it weren't for my financial advisor. I had mustachian habits before Pete coined the term, but I didn't know shit about investing, so all I did was put it in Money Market Accounts. I didn't lose any money, but I sure wasted a lot of compounding years. At least I used some of it to buy real estate, which did really well.
Here's the big myth about what a financial advisor costs: I have more money after I'm done paying the fees than I ever would have had on my own. Now, I don't use your standard retail advisor who charges huge fees, but still, it kind of kills me when I see my statements, until I look at the total balance.
And hell, yes I use a CPA to handle my taxes! He's worth his weight in gold and doesn't charge a fortune.
Perhaps a good follow-up question would be to ask those who have retired early the same question. I suspect the results would be more in favor of professional advice. Can't stress this enough: Thanks to my planner, I can sit here reading the forums as late as I want on a Sunday night without a care in the world about what I have to do at "work" in the morning. Believe me, it's an awesome feeling.
Here's a thought that just occurred to me before I hit send. I really don't care if someone who is far from FI doesn't use a financial planner. I care about what has worked for people who have reached FI. Come to think of it, the reason I hired a planner is because I used to ask everyone I knew who was successfully retired for their best advice. The overwhelming majority used planners, so I paid a professional, got my financial shit together and fulfilled my dream.