The Fiduciary Standard

Not all financial advisors are held to the same standard.  Understanding the difference could be one of the most important things you do for your financial future.

A fiduciary is a financial professional who is legally and ethically required to act in your best interest - not their own, not their firms, and not the interests of any insurance company or investment firm standing behind the products on their shelf.  Every recommendation a fiduciary makes must be made with one question in mind:  Is this the right choice for this client?

That sounds like it should be the standard for everyone.  Surprisingly, it isn't.

Under current regulations, many financial professionals are required to meet a "best interest" standard only at the moment a specific recommendation is made.  Once that transaction is complete, that obligation ends.  A fiduciary's duty is different - it is continuous, relationship-wide, and unconditional.  It doesn't clock out between meetings.

The Certified Financial Fiduciary^® (CF2) is a professional designation awarded by the National Association of Certified Financial Fiduciaries (NACFF).  It is reserved for financial professionals who have successfully completed a rigorous certification and training process and who agree to uphold the highest moral, ethical, and fiduciary standards of service when providing advice to potential and existing clients.

Earning the CF2 designation is not automatic.  Every applicant must pass a full background check and be in good standing with all state and federal license requirements, successfully complete NACFF training, agree to uphold the NACFF Code of Conduct, and have their application approved by the NACFF certification committee.

Financial professionals who have earned the Certified Financial Fiduciary designation can immediately and clearly demonstrate expert knowledge of fiduciary standards, and how they practice a fundamental obligation to always put their client's best interests first.

I earned the CF2 designation in 2019 - becoming one of the first four people in the state to hold it.  It was not required of me.  I pursued it because of something more personal than a compliance checklist.

Over the years, I watched friends and family struggle to find financial guidance they could genuinely trust.  They weren't being served badly by people with bad intentions - they were often being served by people operating under a system that didn't require them to put the client first, consistently in every interaction.  I wanted to be something different.  I wanted to be the advisor I wished they had.

The CF2 designation isn't a marketing credential.  It's a sworn commitment - renewed annually - to a code of conduct that holds me to the highest standard of professionalism in every client relationship, every recommendation, and every decision.  My advice is built around your goals.  Not a product.  Not a quota.  Not a commission.

It's a standard I chose.  And one I hold myself to every day.

• No hidden agendas.  Every recommendation I make is evaluated against one standard: is this in your best interest?  If a product or strategy doesn't genuinely serve your goals, I won't recommend it - regardless of what it might mean for my compensation.
• Full transparency on fees and compensation.  Fiduciaries are not permitted to receive payments creating conflicts of interest unless they comply with certain conditions of exemption that minimize the effects of a conflict.  You will always know how I am compensated and why.  No surprises.
• Continuous, not transactional.  My obligation to you doesn't begin and end with a single recommendation.  I am accountable to your best interest across our entire relationship - in every review, every adjustment, every conversation.
• An enforceable standard, not just a promise.  The CF2 designation is backed by the NACFF Code of Conduct - an enforceable framework that holds me accountable beyond what regulatoin alone requires.  CF2 designees are bound by a code of conduct which holds them to the highest standards of professionalism in the financial services industry.

Before working with any financial advisor, there is one question every person deserves to ask - and deserves an honest answer to:

Are you a fiduciary - in every aspect of our relationship, at all times?

If the answer is anything other than a clear and unconditional yes, it's worth understanding exactly what standard does apply - and when.

My answer is yes.  Unconditionally.  And I have the credential, the training, the background check, and the sworn commitment to back it up..

If you'd like to understand more about what the fiduciary standard means for your specific situation - or simply want to have a conversation about your financial goals - I'd welcome the opportunity.

When we meet the first time, there is no agenda to sell you anything and no expectation you'll become my client.  It's simply a conversation.