Financial Symmetry, Inc., is a Registered Investment Advisor.
Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) is an informal designation describing a person or firm in the United States who has registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or state regulatory agency (where the primary business is situated or multiple States in some cases) in connection with the management of the investments of others. The proper designation for a person so registered would be “An Investment Advisor registered with the SEC” (or a specific state if so registered).
By definition, an investment advisor is considered to be acting in a fiduciary capacity on behalf of clients with a higher standard of disclosure and due care, a commitment to disclose, minimize and resolve conflicts of interest than would be found in a traditional securities brokerage environment.
In addition, most RIAs are compensated on a fee-only basis (usually as a percentage of assets under management) rather than a commission basis.
In general, RIAs managing assets totaling less than $25 million must register with each state in which they have more than 5 clients. Firms managing more assets can register nationally with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration can be a complex process, taking longer than a month and costing several hundred dollars in filing fees, depending on the state or SEC. Registration requires that all employees of the IA (except those limited to clerical duties) pass the FINRA Series 65 exam or have completed an approved professional designation.
**The examples shown in the video were a hypothetical, fictional situation to demonstrate navigation in our client center.
