Efforts to Kill The Fiduciary Rule Have Only Strengthened It

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Michael Kitces recently tweeted an eye-opening chart on the rising interest in the DOL’s Fiduciary Rule. Per Figure 1 below, interest in “fiduciary”, as measured by Google Trends, is at an all time high despite efforts to kill the rule. Is all the push back on the rule having a “Streisand Effect”?

Figure 1: Interest In “Fiduciary” Reaches All Time High

newconstructs_googletrends_fiduciary_2017-02-28

Sources: New Constructs, LLC and Google Trends.

We’ve long argued that with or without the rule, investors want advice that is aligned with their best interests. Similarly, no advisor wants to be perceived as not having the clients’ best interests in mind. Figure 1 supports our assertion that even if the DOL’s fiduciary rule is never made into law, its impact on the industry is here to stay.

Michael Kitces put it best; “industry efforts to fight DOL fiduciary have just driven interest in fiduciaries to new highs. Can’t unring this bell now…”

Our research on the Fiduciary Rule and how it is shaping the advising landscape is below.

  1. There’s No Getting Out Of Fiduciary Duties
  2. Danger Zone: Advisers Who Don’t Fulfill Fiduciary Duties
  3. The Truth Behind The Push To Delay The Fiduciary Rule
  4. Open Letter to The Department Of Labor: What Does “Diligence” Mean For Fiduciaries?
  5. Webinar: Solving the Biggest Problem With the DOL Fiduciary Rule
  6. Fiduciary Duty Can’t Be Killed

This article originally published here on February 28, 2017.

Disclosure: David Trainer, Kyle Guske II, and Kyle Martone receive no compensation to write about any specific stock, sector, style, or theme.

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