What is a Certified Financial Fiduciary and Why Do I Need One?

What is a Certified Financial Fiduciary® (CF2)?

Finding a financial professional you can trust is key to achieving a successful retirement. By choosing to work with a Certified Financial Fiduciary, you can be confident that your best interests will always come first. A CF2 is required by law to act in the best interest of and with individual loyalty to the client.

What is a Fiduciary? Why should I use one?

Federal pension and tax law protect investors by imposing fundamental standards on their investment advisors. Individuals and firms that are held to these standards are called “fiduciaries”. The Department of Labor (DOL) states that fiduciaries are required to act impartially and provide advice that is in their clients’ best interest. Additionally, fiduciaries are not permitted to receive payments creating conflicts of interest unless they comply with certain conditions of exemption that minimize the effects of a conflict. Choosing a Certified Financial Fiduciary as your advisor is important because, under the DOL’s regulatory package, the CF2 Code of Conduct, and the strict guidelines of the National Association of Certified Financial Fiduciaries (NACFF) they are required to give you advise that is in your best interest, not their own.

CF2 Code of Conduct

• Practice the Duty of Loyalty - A CF2 designee will first and foremost agree to always put the client’s best interest first.

• Practice the Duty of Good Faith - fundamental obligation to treat all clients fairly.

• Practice the Duty of Good Care - fundamental obligation to exercise the skill of an expert and to only advise in those areas where expert skill level has been obtained.

• Educate First - provide comprehensive and unbiased education to clients ensuring they have a firm grasp of the subject matter prior to making specific suggestions or advice.

• Holistic Approach - consider all aspects and factors that affect a plan prior to making suggestions or giving advice about any part of a client’s financial plan or circumstance.

• Full Disclosure - always divulge all fees and commissions as well as disclose any conflicts of interest.

• Comparison - always provide comparisons of suggested products with detailed explanations of why one is being suggested over the other.

• Confidentiality - protect and keep all client’s information confidential and securely stored.

• Professional Practice Management - CF2 designees must agree to run their practice with the utmost professionalism using proper documentation and procedures set forth by all relevant government bodies including the SEC and the DOL. They must also agree to be audited by the CF2 organization to ensure that all the above standards are being met at all times.