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In light of recent Wall Street scandals, many investors are taking a closer look at who is actually managing their money and what investment methodology they are following. Investors are taking the time to do their due-diligence and are becoming more educated on selecting the best financial advisor. In my travels and meetings with clients, I continue to hear the same vein of questions. How do I select the best wealth manager? How do I select the best investment management company? Are there FAQ’s on selecting the best financial advisor that I can read? Are “Registered Representatives” fiduciaries? What is a Registered Investment Advisor? What is the difference between a Registered Representative and a Registered Investment Advisor? With such great questions, I wanted to take the time to answer these questions and address this fundamental topic of helping investors select the best financial advisor or wealth manager.

Question #1. How do I know if my Financial Advisor has a Fiduciary Responsibility?

Only a small percentage of financial advisors are Registered Investment Advisors (RIA). Federal and state law requires that RIAs are held to a fiduciary standard. Most so called “financial advisors” are considered broker-dealers and are held to a lower standard of diligence on behalf of their clients. One of the best ways to judge if your financial advisor is held to a Fiduciary standard is to find out how he or she is compensated.

Here are the 3 most common compensation structures in the financial industry:

Fee-Only Compensation
This model minimizes conflicts of interest. A Fee-Only financial advisor charges clients directly for his or her advice and/or ongoing management. No other financial reward is provided, directly or indirectly, by any other institution. Fee-Only financial advisors are selling only one thing: their knowledge. Some advisors charge an hourly rate, and others charge a flat fee or an annual retainer. Some charge an annual percentage, based on the assets they manage for you.

Fee-Based Compensation
This popular form of compensation is often confused with Fee-Only, but it is very different. Fee-Based advisors earn some of their compensation from fees paid by their client. But they may also receive compensation in the form of commissions or discounts from financial products they are licensed to sell. Furthermore, they are not required to inform their clients in detail how their compensation is accrued. The Fee-Based model creates many potential conflicts of interest, because the advisor’s income is affected by the financial products that the client selects.

Commissions
An advisor who is compensated solely through commissions faces immense conflicts of interest. This type of advisor is not paid unless a client buys (or sells) a financial product. A commission-based advisor earns money on each transaction-and thus has a great incentive to encourage transactions that might not be in the interest of the client. Indeed, many commission-based advisors are well-trained and well-intentioned. But the inherent potential conflict is great.

As a financial advisor you are responsible for providing your customer with valuable information and advice on how to invest and utilize their money. This is not a job for the feint hearted and you need to know your industry in-depth to be able to make recommendations based on current trends.

As you can imagine, customers are very wary about the advisor they use. This is understandable because they don’t want to take unnecessary risks with their finances, especially when expecting to increase their funds for their retirement one day.

It is imperative that you take your marketing very carefully, ensuring that you reach your audience effectively and prove that you are a top choice to help them with their investment options.

The first step to success is to design an easy to use and informative website that can become a valuable resource for customers looking for various financial information. By increasing your brand visibility and becoming a resource in your industry, you can increase your customer base. If you become a reliable source of valuable information, more people will turn to you for your financial advisory services rather than using a company that they don’t know or have never heard of.

This is all about brand awareness, which is why your company should have an easy to remember and recognize name and logo. Over time your logo will be recognized by potential customers as the one that gives them the best and current advice and recommendations, again leading to your success.

Become an expert in your field. While you probably are already an expert in terms of knowledge and experience, it’s now time to prove that to your customers. You can create a blog which links back to your website. Writing regular blog posts on the latest financial trends can help you improve your visibility and prove to your customers that you are a top choice when they’re looking for financial advice.

Newsletters are a great way to reach your audience on a regular basis. It is imperative when creating a newsletter that you are consistent in when you send it out. This can be weekly or monthly, depending on your schedule. Remember your customers will expect to receive your newsletter regularly, so don’t fall into the trap of leaving it for another week. Again you need to write current and quality tips, advice and news.

It’s important to be aware that newsletters are not about selling, they are about you having an opportunity to inform your audience and get them to remember your name when they are looking for a financial advisor.

Another top financial advisor marketing tool is articles. There are a number of websites that promote articles across a range of topics. You should ensure that you have regular articles being published, enabling customers to find your company when searching for certain financial products and advice.

Press releases are an opportunity to keep your customers informed while telling them valuable information about you and your business. It is imperative when writing press releases that you eliminate any industry jargon and ensure that they are easy to read, enabling customers to understand what you are trying to portray.

A good opportunity when looking at your financial advisor marketing is to choose a services company that specialize in your industry. They should have a team of professional writers with extensive experience in the financial sector that can write your newsletters, articles and press releases for you, maybe even your website content. This can ensure that you provide customers with easy to understand and up to date information without taking time out of your own busy schedule.