Research Advisors & Products
93.6% of the investors told us they do not have effective processes for selecting the advisors with the best qualificatons. Consequently, many of them selected the advisors with the best personalities and sales skills, characteristics that have nothing to do with competence, ethics, and investor-friendly business practices.
Paladin puts you back in control of the information you need to select and retain advisors with the best qualifications and results. Our information services help you make the right decisions the first time - select high quality advisors and avoid bad advisors.
Check a Credential
One of our most popular information services. You use this tool to identify and avoid advisors who use fake credentials to deceive you into believing they are financial experts.
Paladin researchers have identified more than 260 financial certifications and designations. We produced a report and a peer group quality rating for each credential. The ratings range from 0 Stars (Fake, Discontinued) to Five Stars (Highest). It only takes a minute to enter the letters of a credential and view its report and quality rating.
Rate an Advisor
This service tests what you do and do not know about a prospective or current advisor credentials, ethics, and business practices. You answer ten questions and our algorithm produces a quality rating of Zero to Five Stars. You may not know answers to important questions that impact your advisors competence and ethics. Use Paladin's Request for Information to obtain the information you need to answer all ten questions.
Request Information
You can create a questionnaire that will gather data from any advisor at any U.S. financial service firm. We provide a list of questions and you determine which ones you want to ask a current or prospective advisor. We strongly recommend you require documented responses from advisors so you have a written record in case there is a future dispute.
Advisor Interviews
Your goal is to obtain the information you need to select the best advisor. The advisors' goals are to sell you investment products and services. This Paladin service puts you in control of the interview. It provides a list of the most important questions you should ask advisors during interviews. Be sure you ask all of the candidates the same questions so you can compare their responses. Document advisor responses so you have a written record.
Advisor References
90% of all references are worthless. No advisor will give you a bad reference. Advisors may have personal relationships with their references. A high percentage of advisors coach their references so they make strong, positive statements. This research service provides tips for obtaining more accurate information from references and minimizing the impact of advisor-controlled comments from tainted references.
Advisor Product Recommendations
As part of your research process you ask a prospective advisor, "How will you invest my assets if I select you to be my advisor". No advisor is going to say, "I don't know". The advisor may say, "I need more information to make the right recommendation". This is a reasonable response. Or, the advisor names some products that he wants to sell you. This Paladin resource provides the information you need to quickly and easily review the quality of advisor product recommendations.