Are you Fiduciaries?

DecisionPoint Financial, LLC is a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) with a fiduciary duty of loyalty to our clients.

RIA’s have a fiduciary duty to their clients. This means that we are legally obligated to always act in your best financial interest.  Non-RIA financial advisors, such as broker-dealers, may only have to offer advice that is suitable to their clients.  This means they can offer financial advice that meets a client’s needs, but which may earn them sales commissions or higher fees.

RIA’s register with either the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or state securities regulators.  DecisionPoint Financial, LLC is registered with the SEC.  SEC regulation and oversight ensures that all representatives of DecisionPoint are serving your interests as fiduciaries.  The regulators provide websites where you can research any complaints against your financial advisor. For RIA’s you can check the background of an advisor or their firm utilizing the Investment Advisor Public Disclosure site; and for Brokers governed by FINRA, you can go to BrokerCheck.

RIA’s must clearly disclose any conflicts of interest.  DecisionPoint must be fully transparent when disclosing all fees and potential conflicts of interests to our clients.   

Are you CFP® Professionals?

DecisionPoint Financial has many CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals on staff. 

Most people think that all financial planners are “certified”, but this isn’t true.  Anyone can call themselves a “financial planner.”  Only those who have fulfilled the certification and renewal requirements of the CFP Board can display the CFP® certification marks.  When selecting a financial planner, you need to feel confident that the person you choose to help you plan for your future is competent and ethical.  The CFP® certification provides that sense of security by allowing only those who meet the following requirements the right to use the CFP® certification marks:

EDUCATION:  CFP® professionals must develop their theoretical and practical financial planning knowledge by completing a comprehensive course of study at a college or university offering a financial planning curriculum approved by the CFP Board.

EXAMINATION:  CFP® practitioners must pass a comprehensive CFP® Certification Examination that tests their ability to apply financial planning knowledge in an integrated format.  Based on regular research of what planners do, the exam covers the financial planning process, tax planning, employee benefits and retirement planning, estate planning, investment management and insurance.

EXPERIENCE:  CFP® professionals must have two years minimum experience in the financial planning process prior to earning the right to use the CFP® certification marks.  As a result, CFP® practitioners possess financial counseling skills in addition to financial planning knowledge.

ETHICS:  As a final step to certification, CFP® practitioners agree to abide by a strict code of professional conduct, known as the CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, that sets forth their ethical responsibilities to the public, clients and employers.  Through the Code of Ethics, CFP® practitioners agree to act fairly and diligently when providing you with financial planning advice and services, putting your interests first.  The Code of Ethics states that CFP® practitioners are to act with integrity, offering you professional services that are objective and based on your needs.  They are required to provide you with information about their sources of compensation and conflicts of interest in writing.

ONGOING CERTIFICATION:  Once certified, CFP® practitioners are required to maintain technical competence and fulfill ethical obligations.  Every two years, they must complete a minimum 30 hours of continuing education to stay current with developments in the financial planning profession and better serve their clients.