What is a Fiduciary?

Trustworthy

As fiduciaries, we act in your best interest.

What is a Fiduciary, and Why Should I Care if my Advisor is One?

The Fiduciary Standard established as part of the Investment Act of 1940. Investment advisors are bound to this standard and with regulation by the SEC and the state securities regulators. This standard requires investment advisors to put their client's interests above their own. 

Our fiduciary responsibility to you means that we are legally bound to act in your best interest, and we must place your interests above our own. By law, we must exercise a duty of care and loyalty to you concerning every decision we make in managing your money and in the advice we provide to you. Our investment advice must take into account accurate and complete information. We must avoid any conflicts of interest, as best as we can, and must disclose any potential conflicts to our clients. A requirement is that we place trades under the best execution standard, meaning we must strive to trade securities efficiently and at a low cost.

Our Code of Ethics

We follow of Code of Ethics outlined by Cambridge Investment Research, our broker-dealer and asset management firm. Currently, three of our Advisors also adhere to The Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct outlined by the CFP® Board. 

Cambridge Investment Research Code of Ethics: 

In summary, this Code of Ethics is in place "to ensure that no one is taking advantage of their position, or even giving the appearance of placing their interests above that of the accounts, clients, and shareholders we are serving. In this regard, Section 204A of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ("Act") requires investment advisers to establish, maintain, and enforce policies designed to prevent the misuse of non-public information by the investment advisor and its supervised persons. Moreover, Section 206 of the Act, among other things, prohibits investment advisers from engaging in any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud any existing or prospective client. In compliance with Sections 204A and 206 of the Act, this Code of Ethics contains provisions reasonably necessary to eliminate the possibility of the misuse of non–public information as well as fraud against any existing or prospective client. This Code also prohibits all supervised persons from trading in any securities listed on the Restricted Trading List without prior written approval." Follow this link to see the full Code of Ethics here.

CFP® Board Code of Ethics

In summary, this is an additional layer of responsibility that the Certified Financial Planners™ Professionals in our offices follow.

Follow this link to see the full Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct here.