- Advice Only ®
The Risks of Mixing Solicitation and Financial Advice
Updated: Sep 24, 2020
Sadly, according to a 2015 presidential report, every year, Americans lose more than $17 billion dollars due to conflicted financial advice. Unconscionable yet completely legal marketing slogans tout “unbiased fiduciaries” or claim to be in “a client’s best interest,” but in reality, are simply solicitations in the form of trusted advice. Outdated and undeveloped financial planning methodologies such as Fee-Only, Fee-for-Service, and Fee-Based attempt to offer a moral framework, but unfortunately come up short having been legally blurred beyond all recognition. As a result, the financial advice industry has few meaningful standards, safeguards, or consumer protections.
Legal and tax professionals, media influencers, and banks have all standardized “revenue share agreements” with financial professionals for the highly lucrative referrals they provide. Far too often, this transaction of trust and lack of clear motivation directly leads to conflicting recommendations and higher than necessary fee structures. To have any chance at “unbiased” advice, a client should educate themselves about the risks associated with mixing financial advice and the solicitation when making consequential retirement decisions.
Risks include:
Risk #1: Confusion
Risk #2: Lack of coordination
Risk #3: Impaired objectivity
Risk #4: Exposure to exclusionary behavior
Risk #5: Decreased levels of data privacy
Risk #6: Potential of unnecessary costs
Risk #7: Inability to make personal decisions
Risk #8: High levels of fatigue
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