Fiduciary Status Checker

A fiduciary is legally obligated to act in your best interest — not their own. They must disclose conflicts of interest and cannot put their compensation ahead of your financial wellbeing.

Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs) are fiduciaries by law. Broker-dealers are held to a lower "suitability" standard — they only need to recommend investments that are "suitable," even if a better option exists.

Many firms operate as both (dual-registered), which creates conflicts. They may act as a fiduciary for some services and a broker for others.