Why hiring a Fiduciary to manage your money is critically important.
Steve Campbell
Senior Marketing Director @ S.E.E.D. Planning Group - Fee-only Financial Planners & Investment Fiduciaries | ?? Co-Host of the Award-Winning Ditch the Suits Podcast, Host of the One Big Thing Podcast
What is the fiduciary standard?
The fiduciary standard outlines the obligations of financial services professional to his/her clients.
There are two commonly referred to standards that advisors and financial planners are held to the suitability standard and the fiduciary standard.
The suitability standard is the most common, and it requires that investments must fit a client’s investment objectives, time horizon, and experience. This means that an advisor can sell their client the least suitable of all suitable options, which invites conflicts of interest such as selling higher commission products (thereby passing on higher fees to the clients) with no apparent benefit to the client.
Furthermore, an advisor working under the suitability standard doesn’t have to disclose his/her conflicts of interest or act in the best faith to minimize those conflicts.
The fiduciary standard requires advisors to put their clients’ best interests ahead of their own. The principles that underlie the fiduciary standard, such as loyalty and care, provide the basis of trustworthy conduct by those entrusted. Fiduciary laws and regulations define prudent processes. Those prudent processes make adherence to fiduciary principles practical and reliable.
Is your advisor working under the fiduciary standard or the suitability standard?
It is very difficult for consumers to know which type of advisor is held to what type of standard.
Companies and advisors design their titles and descriptions of services to make the average person think they are in a trusted advisory relationship. It is very difficult for any company or advisor to be a fiduciary if they are selling commission-based or transaction-based products, proprietary products, or a limited lineup of products due to compensation guidelines. Furthermore, it is nearly impossible to be a fiduciary and give advice for “free” as long as the consumer buys insurance or investments through the firm.
The unspoken TRUTHs
Ask your advisor if they are acting under the fiduciary standard, if they can define the standard for you, and if they will put it in writing.
Ask your advisor if they are an Investment Advisor Representative or a Registered Investment Advisor and if you can have a copy of their form ADV. If they are not an IAR or RIA or do not give you this form (it's actually a little personalized booklet about their firm and their background), then they are probably not acting under the fiduciary standard.