August 2, 2010
I am an insurance and financial service representative who has held a securities license since 1983. It has been my privilege to provide help to hundreds of average Americans over that period of time. My experience has proven the Suitability standard of Broker/Dealers to be very effective in protecting the best interests of my clients.
There is absolutely no indication that changing to the so called "Fiduciary Standard" would provide any additional benefit to the consumer and it would add a substantial burden of extra paperwork and red-tape.
Under the current "Suitability" standard there are careful compliance checks and balances that have worked very effectively. All of my securities trades are individually reviewed by the Compliance Department of my Broker/Dealer. I am required to keep thorough records and I am audited by a member of the Compliance team, in person, in my office.
I believe the clients who choose to do business with a representative from a Broker/Dealer are well-protected due to the compliance and oversight that already exists. I can see no benefit to the public by changing this and I do see a burden of excessive administrative requirements.