Today many consumers are faced with a tough choice when it comes to who will manage their money.
This choice is made harder with the plethora of financial advisors out there. Some of these people, posing as financial advisors, give you an overload of information as well as a sales pitch for a product that may not be for your benefit. These “self-serving” advisors that are out for their own interest is why NAPFA was created.
NAPFA, which stands for National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, is a professional association for fee-only financial advisors. Founded in 1983, NAPFA has sought to help consumers seek conflict-free financial advice.
What is a Fiduciary?
These fee-only advisors serve in a fiduciary manor. “What is a fiduciary?”, you may ask. A fiduciary is a person legally appointed and authorized to hold assets in trust for another person. The fiduciary manages the assets for the “benefit” of the other person rather than for his or her own profit (investopedia.com). This differs from a normal financial advisor in the fact that some advisers do not always invest for the benefit of the client. Most financial advisors are paid fully or partially by commissions, this means they have an incentive to promote products that maximize their income.
NAPFA prides itself in the fact that this association looks out for the best interest of the client. Saying this, NAPFA only takes advisors that meet their organizations highest standards. Those standards are:
They must meet stiff credentialing and educational requirements.
They must be primarily engaged as holistic financial advisors (rather than merely investment or tax advisors).
They must meet the most rigorous continuing education requirements in the industry.
They must submit to outside professional review, to ensure that they do not have the conflicts of interest that commissions bring.
They must submit a financial plan for review by peers, before they can be admitted.
It’s these high standards that NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisors adhere to that is making people take notice. These registered advisors do not sell any product on commission, and therefore have no outside conflict of interest. NAPFA advisors have one common goal, to look out for their clients best financial interest.
One thing that I’ve noticed about NAPFA advisors is that they are very proud of their organization and take it very seriously. A fellow blogger and CFP® professional, Roger Wohlner, is very active in the NAPFA community. I asked him to share why NAPFA membership is so important to him.
Roopanand Paray,
Roopanand Rick Paray,
Roopanand Paray