Posts Tagged ‘brokers’
A Balanced Portfolio to Avoid (III): Most Financial Advisors Are Not Fiduciaries!
Posted April 30, 2011
on:My friend is a savvy businessman. However, like most Americans, he has a misconception: he thinks financial advisors are legally bound to put clients’ interests first. This can not be further from the truth. Everybody and his grandma can be a “financial advisor.” Unlike being a “physician”, there are neither legal requirements no educational qualifications. Whether a certain financial advisor is bounded legally to act in his client’s best interests all depends on his true profession. Here is an ad hoc summary:
Professional Title | Fiduciary? |
Attorney | Yes |
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) | Yes |
Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) | Yes |
Financial Planner | Maybe |
Certified Financial Planner (CFP) | Maybe |
Wealth Manager | Maybe |
Insurance Agent | No |
Registered Representative | No |
Stock Broker | No |
[Guest Post by Tom Warburton] How’s this for a New Year’s Resolution – repeat after me – I Resolve That I Will Abandon Personal Stock Picking And I Will Not Permit That Foolishness To Be Foisted Upon Me By Stock Brokers, Money Managers Or Financial Advisors.
New evidence shows up every day suggesting that it makes more sense to invest in index funds than to personally pick stocks, invest in hedge funds, invest in actively managed mutual funds or let a money manager pick stocks for you.