We applaud the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule, which demands all advisers act in their clients’ best interest. That this ruling, which takes effect today, has been so hotly debated speaks volumes about how far the industry still has to go to achieve real transparency. The ruling charges advisors with the task of giving advice in their clients’ best interest. Previous, advisors who did not fall under the fiduciary standard, those selling commissionable products under a broker/dealer, only had to adhere to a suitability standard. They had to offer advice that was suitable for their clients, but could be in the advisor’s best interest. Specifically, if two suitable products were suitable for a client, but one resulted in a higher commission for the advisor, the advisor was under no legal obligation to offer the lower commissioned product. Today, according to the DOL ruling, all advisors must act with prudence and loyalty. “Prudence” means the advice must meet the professional standard of care as defined by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). “Loyalty” means advice must be “based on the interests of the customer, rather than the competing financial interest of the adviser or firm.” Additionally, advisors must charge no more than reasonable compensation. They are also prohibited from making misleading statements about investment transactions, compensation, and conflicts of interest. This includes material omissions as well as material misstatements. We spell these terms out because we believe in them. We value our fiduciary relationship with our clients. We enjoy sitting on the same side of the table with them, and we look forward to doing so for many years to come. If you have any questions regarding the DOL ruling, which will require a little more paperwork for us and our clients but no change in our valued relationship with them, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Month: June 2017
Happy high school graduation, sweet friend
I can blink and remember so clearly the sweet, red-headed little boy who spread his Lego sets all over my living room floor, and scored Brewer games with the diligence of a professional statistician. I look up (way up) at him now, but still see the little guy who wrote me a poem more than a dozen years ago, “I have a best friend and she is my Grandma.” The poem hangs on my kitchen wall and I’m never taking it down. I’ve built my business by preparing people for transitional times like these. We plan, invest, analyze, save and plan some more to make each season of life as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. In this way, I know Caleb and his family are ready for the next step. His parents, teachers and coaches also have prepared him well for college and I know he’ll make the most of his time there. So, I’m not worried about him, I’m just a little sad for the rest of us. Caleb is heading off into an exciting new world where innovations I can’t even imagine will become part of his everyday life. These are exiting times for high school graduates, and I’m thrilled by their possibilities. But, I’m also going to miss my friend. Congratulations to Caleb and the Class of 2017! May God bless you tonight and always.