The American College of Financial Services has launched a public awareness campaign and advisor-search website aimed at promoting financial professionals in general and the school’s alumni in particular.
Dubbed YourAdvisorGuide.com, the website helps consumers search for an advisor based on their location, current service needs and future financial goals. In response, the website provides a list of advisor-candidates who have earned relevant college designations, for example the new Tax Planning Certified Professional or Retirement Income Certified Professional credentials.
Launch of the website coincided with a run of commercials online and on television with the theme “Specialists Need Specialists Too.”
The college’s president, George Nichols III, spoke about this theme and the new website with ThinkAdvisor ahead of launch. The idea is simple: Just like not relying on a general doctor for brain surgery, families shouldn’t rely on one-size-fits-all advice for their most complex financial decisions.
“From retirement income planning and tax strategy to business succession and special-needs planning, specialization is now a competitive edge for advisors and a safety net for clients,” Nichols said. “In our reviews of both advisors and consumers, one theme keeps surfacing. Investors want financial specialists.”
Increasingly, Nichols said, the public is coming to understand the role that financial planners can play in their lives as they accumulate assets for goals such as retirement, charitable giving or legacy planning. But there are still many outdated (and highly skeptical) views of what “advisors” do and how they earn their compensation that prevent people from fully engaging with the industry.
“We’ve done a lot to elevate the understanding of fiduciary financial planning and the high ethical standard that our alumni bring to the table, but there’s still a long way to go before we are generally seen and understood as a true profession,” Nichols said.
“That’s always been the goal of the college, from our founding nearly 100 years ago, and we’re taking a big step forward on that mission with this campaign. I can't think of a more exciting time for our organization,” he added.
Pictured: George Nichols III
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