Not all financial professionals have equal credentials. The licenses and designations they earn dictate not only what services they can provide but also the legal standards to which they are held. Investment Adviser Representatives must adhere to the fiduciary standard, while broker-dealers must adhere to the suitability standard. Before you sign on to work with a financial professional, it is important to realize what standard they are working under.
A fiduciary is someone who must legally put your interests first, even before his or her own. Fiduciary professionals also must tell you about their qualifications and services as well as how they are paid.
As a fiduciary, a financial advisor who is advising you about investments must recommend investments that are best for you and must reveal any potential conflicts of interest and any disciplinary actions taken against him or her.
Broker-dealers are not held to the same strict standards as financial advisors. Broker-dealers are held to the less strict suitability standard, which means that recommended investments must be merely suitable for the client.
Retirement National upholds the fiduciary standard. When you work with our team, you can feel confident that the products and services we recommend are designed to help you with your goals, rather than our own.
