What We Do
We provide FREE services, information, and tools to individual investors who rely on advisors to help them achieve their financial goals.
- We find the best financial advisors for you
- We vet financial advisor backgrounds for you
- We document advisor credentials, ethics, and business practices
- We use a computer program to match you to the right advisors
- We provide general information about advisors (About Advisors)
- We provide tools that help you make better decisions (Investor Tools)
We Find Financial Advisors
The best financial advisors share a set of common characteristics. They are:
- Financial fiduciaries (highest ethical standard)
- Compensated with fees for their advice and services
- Financial experts based on their education, experience, and certifications
- Trustworthy professionals based on their records of compliance
We Vet & Document Advisors
Our analysts vet financial advisor credentials, ethics, business practices and services.
- We ask the right questions for you
- We review advisor responses
- We validate advisor responses using public data
Then we document each advisor's background information in online profiles that are one more source of public data when you research advisors.
We Provide a Free Match Service
Our proprietary computer program matches you to the right advisors - based on mutual requirements. We provide match results the same day or no later than the next business day.
We Provide a Free Directory Service
We manage a Directory you can use to select the advisors you want to interview. The advisors' listings give you access to profiles that document their credentials, ethics, business practices and services.
About Advisors
The more you know about financial advisors, the higher the probability you will select the best financial advisor for the right reasons. The less you know about advisors, the greater the risk you will select the advisor with the best sales skills.
Go to "About Advisors" on the top navigation if you would like to learn more about financial advisors before you start the interview process. The information is free and there are no registration requirements.
Investor Tools
In addition to information about advisors, we also provide tools that help you make better decisions when you select advisors who will influence or control your financial decisions and results.
For example, use our Check a Credential service to verify the quality of an advisor's certifications. Or, read a FREE eBook that describes the best way to interview advisors before you make your final selection decision.
Go to "Investor Tools" on the top navigation to access these tools. The tools are free and there are no registration requirements.
Who We Serve
We provide services to individual investors and their families. We do not provide services to institutional investors, for example: Pension plans, endowments, or foundations.
Who are the investors? They are people like you who rely on advisors to help them achieve their financial goals.
Our users fall into three general categories:
- They are replacing financial advisors
- They are first time users
- They are DIY's who are transferring assets to advisors
Replacing Financial Advisors
Every year millions of consumers replace their financial advisors for the following reasons:
- Advisors mispreresented their qualifications
- Results did not meet expectations
- Risk exposure was excessive
- Advisors were no longer considered trustworthy
- Ongoing communications and reporting were inadequate
These investors use the Registry to replace advisor,s so they do not make the same mistakes twice.
First Time Users
A high percentage of our users have not used the services of financial advisors in the past. There are several reasons why they decided to begin relying on advisors to help them plan their futures and invest their assets.
- They accumulated a material amount of assets: sale of a business, inheritance, real estate transaction
- They are rolling assets from a 401k into an IRA
- They need planning and investment services
- They are concerned about their financial security during retirement
Paladin provides an invaluable menu of services for investors who have no experience researching, interviewing, or selecting financial advisors.
Do It Yourselfers (DIYs)
Another type of user are the DIYs who no longer want to plan their financial futures or invest assets on their own. Each DIY can have different reasons for turning their serious money over to financial professionals.
- They no longer have time to do the work themselves
- They have accumulated more assets than they are comfortable investing on the own
- They need planning and other specialized financial advice
- Their performance is lagging the results of professionals
- They are not sure how to minimize their risk in volatile markets
Why Paladin?
Your biggest concern should be potential conflicts of interest that taint the information you are being given. This page describes several reasons why you can trust Paladin to provide the facts you need to select the right advisor for you and your family.
Free Services
All of the information and services on this website are provided FREE to investors. We have nothing to sell you.
Educational Content
We believe the more you know about financial advisors, the higher the probability you will make the right choice when you select a professional to help you achieve your financial goals.
- Go to "About Advisors" to learn more about advisors.
- Go to "Investor Tools" to access services that help you research, interview, and select the best advisors
No Strings Attached
No registration is required to access the educational content in About Advisors or to use our Investor Tools.
You provide your contact information when you want to be contacted by Paladin or a financial advisor.
We protect your privacy. We do not provide your information to any other third parties.
Public Data
We provide easy access to public data about financial advisors. There is an extraordinary amount of information about advisors on the Internet. You just have to know where to look, what to look for, and how the information impacts you.
100%
There is a particular type of financial advisor who is listed in the Registry. 100% of the professionals:
- Have been vetted and documented by Paladin Research
- Are Registered Investment Advisors or Investment Advisor Representatives
- Are financial fiduciaries (highest ethical standard)
- Are compensated with fees like other professionals
- Provide financial advice and ongoing services
Our Independence
Consumers have trusted Paladin since 2003:
- We are an information services firm, not a financial services firm
- We do not provide any type of financial, tax, or legal advice
- No financial professional or firm is affiliated with Paladin
- No financial professional or firm has an equity interest in Paladin
- We do not participate in any financial advisor revenue streams
Quick Facts
We provide FREE services and information that help you find, screen, interview, and select top quality financial advisors.
See "What We Do" to learn more about our services.
See "Who We Serve" to learn more about our users.
See "Why Paladin" to learn why we are a source you can trust.
Want to learn more about why Paladin is a source you can trust when you seek, screen, and interview financial advisors?
Quick facts about Paladin:
- Our first book, Who's Watching Your Money?, was published in 2003
- Our second book, 5 Steps for Selecting the Best Financial Advisor, was published in 2018
- Our first generation Paladin Registry website launched in April 2004
- We added a Registry of vetted financial advisors to the website in October 2004
- We have written hundreds of eBooks and whitepapers about financial advisors
- Our founder, spent more than 25 years in the financial service industry before he started Paladin
- Paladin analysts have vetted more than 9,000 financial advisors
- We have matched thousands of investors to top quality advisors
- More than 900,000 consumers have used our Directory to find the best financial advisors
- More than 2.3 million consumers have viewed our educational content