This April, the Department of Labor issued its new fiduciary rule, which will require any advisor giving advice to retirement account holders to act in the client’s best interest. It certainly sounds like an obvious improvement, and we’re pleased to see some forward progress on this notion of a more global fiduciary standard. Remember, Hill Investment Group has been acting in the capacity of a fiduciary for our clients since the founding of our firm.

Nevertheless, we’re not all that hopeful to see newly minted fiduciaries taking on the title anywhere near its fullest extent. Their clients may be scratching their heads since surveys indicate that many already thought they had a fiduciary commitment from their advisor. In reality, they’ve been subjected to the suitability standard. It’s is far more common and gives a wide berth to advisors when defining what might be best suited for a particular client (think of high cost, proprietary, commission-based products).

Interested in additional reading on this topic?

• “What New Rules on Retirement Savings Mean for Investors” in The New York Times
• “Fiduciary Rule Better Protects Investor Interests” from Morningstar