08/18/2026
"I'm a fiduciary."
You've probably heard that phrase a lot lately. But what does it actually mean and should it matter to you?
Here's the thing most people don't realize: not every financial professional is held to the same standard. Some are legally required to put your interests first. Others just have to recommend something "suitable." Those are two very different bars.
A fiduciary — specifically, a Registered Investment Adviser Representative (IAR) — has a legal and ethical duty to act in your best interest. Not just when they make a recommendation, but for the entire relationship. That means:
⚪Advice that's actually built around your goals and risk tolerance, not a product they're pushing
⚪Full transparency about anything that could bias their recommendations
⚪An ongoing obligation to act with care and honesty, not a one-time box to check
If you're evaluating an advisor (or wondering about the one you have), ask them directly:
1️⃣Are you a Registered Investment Adviser Representative?
2️⃣Are you acting as my fiduciary all the time, or only in certain situations?
3️⃣How do you get paid?
4️⃣Do you have any conflicts of interest I should know about?
Don't just take their word for it, either. FINRA's BrokerCheck (brokercheck.finra.org) and the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure database (adviserinfo.sec.gov) let you look up an advisor's registration and background yourself.
At the end of the day, you deserve to know whether the person managing your money is legally required to put you first.
At ThreePoint Private Client Group, we think clients make better decisions when they understand exactly what standard their advisor is held to — it's the foundation of real trust.
