ethics Archives - Tony Vidler

Pro Bono work: it is still professional advice

by Tony Vidler Oddly, I was asked whether pro bono work is still considered professional advice, implying immediately that it carried some lesser responsibility on the part of an adviser simply because they were not earning revneue from it. Why would pro bono clients deserve any lesser standards of ethical behaviour, professional competency or […]

You get the behaviour that you reward

by Tony Vidler We tend to get the right behaviour when we see it and reward it repeatedly. Kindergarten teachers know it, so why don’t the leaders of professional services firms know it and use it? Here are a couple of real examples of how this plays out: In one instance it was watching […]

Building Your Reputation: Talk About The Elephants In The Room

by Tony Vidler When Accountants struggle to be highly trusted then financial advisers are going to have a real battle doing so. If the Accountants only get rated as “Highly trusted” in professional ethics and honesty by less than half the population then what chance that an Insurance Broker will rank higher in the […]

The 4 Step Ethical Test for Financial Professionals

by Tony Vidler I attended a Rotary function as a guest and ‘discovered’ the best ethical test I’ve ever heard. When I say ‘discovered’, I personally didn’t discover anything at all…but I was introduced to The Rotary Philosophy which was a discovery for me. It is hardly new, having been written in 1932, however amidst […]

Replacing Insurance: Right? or Always Wrong?

by Tony Vidler Replacing insurance – or “Churning” as it is often called – is a topic guaranteed to generated heated debate within the industry. At one extreme there are advisers whose entire business seems to exist by churning anything and everything that they can get their hands on…regardless of consequences to the consumer. At […]

Financial Adviser Titles: What’s in a name?

by Tony Vidler Do financial adviser titles matter? A good question given the number of advisers who seem to try and elevate their professional positioning by referring to themselves as something other than “a financial adviser”. You know what I mean….financial advisers who have titles like “Risk Mitigation Specialist” or “Personal Financial Manager”…. Something […]

Who Does That Adviser Work For?

by Tony Vidler Which financial adviser is going to be right: the one who charges a fee; the one who is “free”; or; the one charging a commission? Or is it the one who does all of these? Well I suggest that it depends on what you are hoping for and what you […]

Are you a GOOD Adviser?

by Tony Vidler Another week and another bad adviser horror story in the local press…yet, another week and thousands more consumers work with their good adviser privately and attract no headlines. They just make progress quietly towards their savings or investment goals, or protecting their families, or building financial safety nets, and so it goes […]

Let’s be honest with our honesty

by Tony Vidler Disclosure is back on the regulatory agenda again, and the rules will undoubtedly be changing yet again. There is no doubt in my mind that disclosure of costs, fees and conflicts enhances trust and professional credibility. However, there is also no doubt in mind that disclosure can be taken so far that […]

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