The Paladin Registry announced this week that Rick has been awarded the its Five Star quality designation. The Paladin Registry is an independent firm that provides free education, search, and documentation services to investors who use the services of financial planners and advisors. The Registry awards its Five Star quality designation to professionals who meet its high minimum standards for credentials, ethics, and business practices. Less than 10% of practicing planners and advisors meet the Registry’s minimum standards.
Jack Waymire, Paladin founder and author of the highly regarded book Who’s Watching Your Money? The 17 Paladin Principles for Selecting a Financial Advisor (Wiley, 2003) said, “Registry services solve three major problems for investors who rely on planners and advisors to achieve their financial goals. First, it’s not easy for investors to find high quality advisors. Second, when they find advisors they may not know the right questions to ask to determine their quality. And third, they may not know good answers from bad ones. Consequently, millions of investors hire the wrong advisors for the wrong reasons and fire them within two years.”
Waymire went on to say, “The Registry solves the quality problem by having the highest minimum standards in the financial services industry. Planners and advisors must complete a comprehensive questionnaire and score in the top 10% of their profession to be admitted to the Registry. In addition, they must be Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) or Investment Advisor Representatives (IARs), acknowledge their fiduciary status, provide independent advice, and work for fees.”
Waymire confirmed that only a small percentage of practicing planners and advisors can meet the Registry’s strict requirements. He said “We focus on the top tier of professionals who are paid to help investors achieve their financial goals. We exclude the bottom 90% who are frequently paid commissions to sell investment and insurance products. Anyone who isn’t paid to help investors achieve their financial goals is a potential risk.”
He added, “This risk exists because the financial services industry has no minimum standards for advisors. There are no education requirements, not even a high school diploma, and no experience requirements. In fact, 18 year olds and people with criminal records can obtain securities licenses. The combination of no standards and no disclosure requirements create a major risk for investors and the Paladin Registry is one of the few resources that help them avoid the risk.”
Paladin is an information services company and not a financial services company. The Registry provides free public services to investors who use the services of financial planners and advisors. The four primary services are investor education, advisor search, advisor ratings, and advisor documentation. Visit Paladin’s website at http://www.paladinregistry.com/ for additional information.
