What is the
RIAdb Standard?
Registered investment advisors listed on RIAdb.com have been vetted using a stringent set of criteria to ensure their investment choices are made solely based on their clients' needs. Their only incentive is your loyalty, and ensuring that your investments are performing at their bests.
Fee-Only Advisors
charge a flat fee or rate for managing a client's money. Their only incentive is for their clients' investments to do well.
1. Our RIAs are never paid by commissions.
A fee-based (or fee-only) advisor charges a flat rate for managing a client's money, regardless of the type of investment products the client ends up purchasing. This flat rate will be either a dollar amount or a percentage of assets under management (AUM).
A financial advisor who charges a flat fee for his services rather than earning a commission based on order size has more incentive to put the customer's best interest first. A fee-only advisor does not have an incentive to push a customer into certain securities because they are paying a high commission. Instead, he has an incentive to place the customer into the best-performing investments, so they remain loyal and continue to provide a steady source of business.
2. We don't list any broker dealers, or anyone who employs them.
A commission-based advisor earn money from the completion of transactions with their clients money as well as the sale of investment products, such as mutual funds and annuities. Advisors such as these get more money by selling products that offer higher commissions or by performing more frequent transactions with their clients money, whether or not they are in the best interest of the client.
A commission-based advisor may try to steer clients toward investment products that pay generous commissions. A professional advisor has a fiduciary responsibility to offer the investments that best serve the client's interests.
Broker-Dealers
earn commissions by selling investment products and conducting transactions, often in addition to their fees.
2. We don't list any broker dealers, or anyone who employs them.
A commission-based advisor earn money from the completion of transactions with their clients money as well as the sale of investment products, such as mutual funds and annuities. Advisors such as these get more money by selling products that offer higher commissions or by performing more frequent transactions with their clients money, whether or not they are in the best interest of the client.
A commission-based advisor may try to steer clients toward investment products that pay generous commissions. A professional advisor has a fiduciary responsibility to offer the investments that best serve the client's interests.
Broker-Dealers
earn commissions by selling investment products and conducting transactions, often in addition to their fees.