Investing with a financial advisor you know and trust doesn't sound like a good idea to me. That's what Bernie Madoff's clients were doing. You want a financial advisor who is trustworthy, which is a very different thing and much harder to find.
I disagree - Madoff was extremely secretive about his "strategy" (because there was none) and financial statements. He wouldn't meet with individual investors. So the transparency & access that I recommend simply weren't there with him.