Brutal economic conditions unsurprisingly hit global accounting giant Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu this year.

The firm reports that revenue for fiscal 2009 (which ended May 31) fell 4.9% from the year before, settling at $26.1 billion. A decline in deal flow and the economic downturn around the world are cited as the primary reasons for the performance. Only the consulting business posted a gain. At the same time, Deloitte's workforce grew globally by 40,000 to 169,000, but the net increase masks a turbulent year for the employees.

MarketWatch's Mark Hulbert takes a brilliant look at the real reasons that people hire financial advisers: They want to feel good, and they want confirmation of what they already believe to be true. An adviser quoted in Hulbert's piece describes losing clients whenever he changes his mind about the direction of the market.

Hulbert concludes the pieces by saying, "To be sure, there's nothing wrong with feeling good. But, if that is your primary motivation in your selection of an adviser, don't later complain when your portfolio lags the market."

I know several investors who have told me that they work with a financial adviser to "feel better" and that they're aware that it's unlikely that they're getting what they pay for in terms of financial benefits. But does this make sense? I believe that one of the first things investors should do is realize that they don't have much control over the market, and that their goal should be to come as close to matching the performance of the market as possible.

So where does hiring a financial adviser, who also has no control over the market, come in? It looks to me like a case of transferring responsibility: If you have little confidence in your own abilities, you'd probably rather ride in a car being driven 140 miles per hour by a stranger than you would drive at that speed yourself.

So before you waste money on a financial adviser (unless your financial situation is very complex, a financial adviser is very likely a waste of money), repeat after me: I may not know what I'm doing, but neither does the adviser: There are numerous ways that I can construct a portfolio that will perform just as well as the one he would construct, without paying him.

So if you want to feel good about yourself, go see a therapist, not a financial adviser. If you want your investments to do well, log on to Vanguard.com, and set up a life-cycle account, or just buy some index funds. You'll outperform most financial advisers. I guarantee it.