We wanted to share a recent regulatory change that we’re excited about. Financial planners are now permitted to receive and share online reviews!
For many years, professionals like doctors and attorneys have used reviews to help consumers feel confident in choosing a professional they can trust. Until recently, financial planners at Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firms weren’t allowed to do the same. This was unfortunate since so much of what we do is built on trust and relationships.
Regulations Now Permit Financial Planner Reviews
Now that the rules have changed, we’re inviting clients to write a review about their experience working with us. It’s entirely optional, but if you choose to share a few words, it would mean a great deal. It would also help others trying to choose a financial planner know what you value about the financial planning process with us. You can write a review through our profile on Wealthtender.
If you decide to leave a review, please use your first name and last initial (not your full name for privacy purposes). We’ll also include a brief disclosure stating that you’re a current client, which is required by regulatory guidelines. We define a current client as those who have engaged us for periodic services in the past 12 months or are ongoing clients. Periodic clients for whom it’s been more than 12 months since their last engagement are identified as “past periodic client.” The status is as-of the date of the review. In addition, regulations require us to share any conflicts of interest and that no compensation was received for the review.
Disclosures are Required for Transparency
On Wealthtender, the required disclosures are listed right below each review. In addition to Wealthtender, we’re also present and would love to engage with you on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or X. If you share something on one of our social media pages that would be considered a reflection of your work with us, we would use the following image (or other variation as appropriate) to fulfill the regulatory disclosure requirements.
Here’s a sample of the disclosure we would post in response to a social media review.
More than anything, we want to say thank you for your continued trust. It’s a privilege to support you in achieving your financial goals. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s anything we can help with.