08/04/2022
Understanding Financial Advisors
"Financial advisor" is a generic term with no precise industry definition. As a result, this title can describe many different types of financial professionals. Stockbrokers, insurance agents, tax preparers, investment managers, and financial planners can all be considered financial advisors. Estate planners and bankers may also fall under this umbrella.
Still, an important distinction can be made: that is, a financial advisor must actually provide guidance and advice. A financial advisor can be distinguished from an ex*****on stockbroker that simply places trades for clients or a tax accountant who simply prepares tax returns without providing advice on how to maximize tax advantages.
Furthermore, what may pass as a financial advisor in some instances may simply be a product salesperson, such as a stockbroker or a life insurance agent. A true financial advisor should be a well-educated, credentialed, experienced, financial professional who works on behalf of their clients, as opposed to serving the interests of a financial institution by maximizing the sales of certain products or capitalizing on commissions from sales.
275,200
There were 275,200 professional financial advisors in the U.S. as of 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.1
Generally, a financial advisor is an independent practitioner who operates in a fiduciary capacity in which a client’s interests come before their own. However, only Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs), who are governed by the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, are held to a true fiduciary standard. This fiduciary standard mandates that an RIA must always unconditionally put the client's best interests ahead of their own, regardless of all other circumstances.2
There are some agents and brokers who elect to practice in this capacity, as a fiduciary, as a way of attracting clients. However, their compensation structure is such that they are bound by the contracts of the companies where they work.