Finding advisors is easy. Most of the time they find you. But, determining the quality of advisors is very difficult for two reasons:

• All advisors claim to be financial experts, whether it's true or not
• Advisors are very skilled at hiding information they don't want you to have

Plus, did you know advisors don't have track records that document their results so it's safe for them to claim they produce exceptional results. They know you have no way to validate their claims. And, it may sound good, but recommending mutual funds with hot track performance does not constitute a track record. Anyone can use hindsight to select funds after the performance has occurred. The consequence of these deceptive sales practices is you buy sales recommendations believing the advice came from a trustworthy expert or you select advisors for the wrong reasons.

It's your responsibility to determine the quality of advisors before you buy what they're selling or follow their financial advice. Therefore, you have to know the right questions to ask and you have to know good answers from bad ones. This may sound easy enough, but it's not. When advisors are selling you products or advice, they control the information you use to determine their quality and they use their sales skills to convince you they are competent, ethical experts.

There has to be a better way to determine the quality of advisors and there is. The Paladin Registry provides unique services that will help you find advisors AND determine their quality.

Advisor Ratings & Documentation 
Morningstar® and Lipper® have rated the quality of mutual funds for decades. You use the ratings to help you screen and select higher quality funds and avoid the risks and consequences of investing in lower quality funds. Paladin Registry ratings and documentation serve the same purpose for financial advisors and planners. Our information helps you screen and select higher quality advisors and reduce your risk of selecting lower quality advisors. However, financial advisors are more difficult to rate than mutual funds for four reasons:

Rated Advisors
The Registry uses a proprietary process for rating the quality of advisors. Ratings are based on an objective review of the following information:

• Credentials: Education, certifications, experience
• Ethics: Compliance record, registrations, fiduciary status
• Business Practices: Methods of compensation and servicing policies
• Wealth Management Services: Sophisticated services for complex markets 

Documentation
Documentation is more important than the rating process. That's because Registry documents provide the information you need to screen and evaluate advisors. For example:

• Documentation reduces advisor control over information that impacts your selection decision
• Documentation reduces the impact of advisor personalities and sales skills
• Documentation increases the objectivity of your selection decision
• Documentation provides a written record of what the advisor said to win a relationship with you