“Make sure your advisor is a fiduciary.”
You’ve probably heard that and thought: Okay…but what does that actually mean? And more importantly—does it really matter for me?
Yes. It matters. And it’s simpler than the finance world makes it sound.
A fiduciary is a financial professional who is required to act in your best interest when providing advice.*1 In plain English: they should recommend what’s best for you, not what’s best for their commission, their firm, or their sales targets.
That one standard can change the entire feel of financial advice—from pressure and confusion to clarity and trust.
What does a fiduciary do?
A fiduciary isn’t just someone who picks investments. A good fiduciary helps you build a plan that fits your life.
That might include:
- Creating a financial plan based on your goals, timeline, and values
- Helping you prioritize (debt vs. savings vs. investing vs. big purchases)
- Building a strategy for cash flow, emergency savings, and automation
- Making investing less intimidating by aligning risk, accounts, and contributions
- Guiding major transitions like divorce, inheritance, career change, caregiving, or selling a home
- Turning “overwhelmed” into next steps—with a plan you can actually follow
In other words: a fiduciary helps connect the dots between your money and your real life.
Why “fiduciary” matters: conflicts of interest
Not all financial professionals operate under the same standard.
Many consumers encounter different types of financial providers, including:
- Investment advisers, who generally have a fiduciary duty under federal securities law when providing advice.
- Broker-dealers, who are generally subject to Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) when making recommendations to retail customers.
Reg BI is designed to require recommendations to be in the customer’s best interest and limits putting the firm’s interest ahead of the customer’s. But the practical takeaway is still the same:
You deserve clarity on the standard your advisor follows and how they’re paid. Compensation and incentives can influence advice, so transparency matters.
The 3 questions to ask any advisor
If you ask nothing else, ask these:
- “Are you a fiduciary when giving advice to me-always, or only sometimes?”
- “How are you paid?” (fee-only, fee-based, commissions?)
- “What conflicts of interest should I know about-and how do you manage them?”
Good advisors welcome these questions. If the answers feel vague, complicated, or dodged—that’s useful information.
What working with the right fiduciary should feel like
Most women aren’t looking for a lecture or a sales pitch. They want support that feels:
- clear
- calm
- practical
- aligned with their goals
- consistent over time and works with you, where you are at any life stage
A fiduciary relationship should help you feel more confident-not more confused!
And this is where Willow fits in…
The hardest part often isn’t deciding you want help. It’s finding the right person-and knowing how to evaluate them.
That’s what Willow is here for.
You complete a short questionnaire, and we use your answers to help match you with a financial advisor who fits your goals and communication style-specifically including fiduciary-aligned options—so you can move forward with clarity and trust.
Complete the Willow questionnaire to get matched with a fiduciary who can help you build a plan, reduce overwhelm, and make confident decisions.
“A fiduciary relationship should feel clear, aligned, and built around your life—not a sales pitch.”
References:
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, “Commission Interpretation Regarding Standard of Conduct for Investment Advisers“, 2019.
FINRA, “Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) Overview”, 2025.
CFP Board, “Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct (Fiduciary duty for CFP® professionals providing financial advice), 2025.
