New Fiduciary Standard
The final ruling from the Department of Labor (DOL) on the long awaited regulations requiring advisors to act as “fiduciaries” was announced last week. The ruling basically elevates the responsibilities of financial professionals to put clients’ interests first and to increase disclosures to better ensure investors are getting appropriate, unbiased, and trusted advice.
The document itself is quite long and complex — 1,200 pages as a matter of fact! While it will take time to fully digest, we do already know that it has little to no impact on Resource Consulting Group. As one of the first firms in Florida to earn its certification by the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX) we actively undergo annual reviews in an effort to keep us accountable to our clients. Our goal as a Registered Investment Adviser is to ensure we comply with a fiduciary standard of care toward our clients at all times; our role as a fiduciary is mandated by the Investment Adviser’s Act of 1940.
We view the recent Fiduciary ruling as a step in the right direction for investors and we fully expect the debate on this topic to continue. At Resource Consulting Group, we will continue to sort through the DOL ruling to better understand its impact on both investors and the financial industry as a whole moving forward. Rest assured, we do not take our calling as a trusted advisor to our clients lightly. We will move forward, as we have for the past 28 years, earning the trust and confidence of our clients and acting in their best interests.
If you would like to learn more about the recent announcement, click here. For more information on the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence and the CEFEX certification requirements, visit the CEFEX website.
