Get The Facts

Want more information about financial advisors and how their business practices impact the achievement of your financial goals. You have come to the right place! Get the Facts provides tools, articles, and Guides that help you navigate the complex world of Wall Street. We take the mystery out of advisor roles, licenses, compensation, expenses, compliance records, jargon, and performance.

A limited menu of Facts is published on our external website, no sign-up required. If you like what you see, a more extensive menu of Facts is available to Watchdog users on our internal site. In one convenient location you have access to all of the Facts you need to screen, evaluate, monitor, and communicate more effectively with all types of financial professionals.

There are no surprises when you have the Facts.

Dictionary We've created a dictionary of the most frequently used terms by financial advisors

Certifications Confused by the alphabet soup after advisor names? We have researched more than 200 advisor certifications and designation and documented their prerequisites, curriculums, testing and continuing education requirements.

Compensation Advisors don’t like to talk about their compensation. They don’t want you to know how much they make especially if their advice produces bad results.

Licensing Licensing and registrations impact the services your advisor provides, how the advisor is compensated, and the ethical standards that apply to the advisor.

Compliance Get links to websites that monitor the compliance records of financial advisors, planners, registered representatives, insurance agents, and money managers.