How to recognize a great Financial Advisor
As in any profession, some Advisors are better than others. In fact, there is a wide range. But how do you separate the really excellent ones from the others, when they all pretty much look and sound the same? We can help. From our perspective, the excellent ones hold themselves to high standards for service, care, and competence.
What do we mean by a standard of service?
Our Accretive Elite™ program provides a benchmark for client service that you can use to gauge which Advisor is best for you. Accretive Elite™ defines service excellence within the Financial Advisor community. Our Accretive Elite™ program recognizes Advisors for their practice discipline and client satisfaction. These Advisors are the elite who uphold the highest standard of service. They must all be nominated to join the program, pass a Client Feedback Survey, pass a Professional Standards Check and pass their Service Offering Review. The Elite mark is your indicator that the Advisor has demonstrated client service excellence.
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What do we mean by a standard of care?
Very simply, the Advisor puts the interests of clients first. It is fundamental. It is also hard to measure. The truth here can be found mostly in an Advisor’s actions, but it can't hurt to look for an Advisor who conducts business to fiduciary standards.
What do we mean by a standard of competence?
Technical expertise. We aren't knocking experience — in fact, the humility and wisdom one collects is truly valuable to an Advisor — but we are really bullish on technical expertise and a demonstrated commitment to refresh and extend it. There are over 100 professional designations available to Financial Advisors and dozens of university and college programs that indicate competence. As a starting point, you might find our summary of industry credentials and designations helpful. But most importantly, Investors must ask and seek to understand exactly what competencies the Advisor has that are relevant to the advice needed.
