The “F” Word
As a consumer of financial advice and products in a variety of forms, from savings to brokerage accounts; from mortgages to insurances, you should think that professionals in the field have your best interest in mind. Unfortunately, the industry is rife with ‘frauds’ looking for victims; ‘fly by night’ sales people’, or ‘fledglings’ that don’t have depth and breadth of experience. (I had to start somewhere!) How do you discern who to work with as a guide on the complex journey of your financial life?
Moving towards the assurance that your perspective will be seen, your objectives will be honored, your voice will be heard and the mosaic of your monetary life will be mulled, you need to work with a Fiduciary. Fiduciary is the term normally used for people in the financial or legal world who manage your affairs with an ethical obligation to put your concerns ahead of their own. Fiduciary comes from the Latin term “fidere, which means “to trust”. The word faith also comes from this root. It is a term sanctioned through professional licensing processes, as well as a work ethic foundation held by a growing number of advisors that seek to serve their clients with integrity, honesty, and competency.
Since most investors don’t know they have a choice, The Department of Labor set forth a ruling that is to go into effect April 10th of this year. It requires financial professionals that service retirement accounts to uphold the ‘Fiduciary’ standard. Take note, this regulation only covers retirement accounts. This differs from the ‘suitability’ standard that deems a product recommendation only as “appropriate” for a client. The ‘suitability’ standard does not reveal the conflicts of interest that may exist when recommending a specific financial product.
As an informed consumer of financial advice, you should ask questions, not only around your retirement accounts, but your entire financial picture. How does the professional get compensated? What is the scope of service they are going to provide? Is it a product or a process you are looking for? How often will you meet? Will they review your investments, or give you insight on how all the pieces of your financial life intertwine to work in your favor. Is there more than a product sale relationship? Do you want more than that?
It is sad that the government needs to step in and dictate ethics to the financial services industry, but we are all fallible. The DOL ruling may get watered down under the new administration, but your power to make informed decisions is not. Do your homework, ask the right questions, seek referrals from family and friends and trust your gut. Don’t let emotions (especially fear or greed) dominate your decision making process. You need to trust and have faith in the people that are walking alongside you in one of the most intimate areas of your life. I believe that as people take responsibility for their understanding, increase their financial literacy, and hold accountable an industry that should be serving them, we will continue to see change in the right direction.
Some resources to check out who you are, or thinking about working with are: http://www.letsmakeaplan.org, http://www.brokercheck.finra.org; https://www.napfa.org
Keep “Fiduciary” in the forefront as your financial “f” word, lest you find yourself emitting the expletive immersed in regrets.
