Atlanta-Based Financial Advisor to Help Educate Consumers on the Need for a Fiduciary Standard

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) July 11, 2007 -- Financial Advisors who are held to a Fiduciary Standard occupy a position of special trust and confidence when working with a client. As a fiduciary, the financial advisor is required to act with undivided loyalty to the client, which includes disclosure of compensation and corresponding conflicts of interest. Unfortunately, many financial advisors are not held to such standards and the people who are hurt are the consumers.

To help educate consumers about the need for financial advisors to adhere to a fiduciary standard, Micah Porter of Minerva Planning Group in Atlanta, GA, is working with the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) as a local point of contact for its 2007 Focus on Fiduciary campaign. The campaign is a national, consumer-oriented public service effort aimed at educating Americans about the need for financial professionals to hold themselves to a fiduciary standard.

The campaign, beginning on June 1, 2007 and running throughout the summer, will address the pressing issues surrounding the need for a fiduciary standard. Micah Porter and NAPFA hope to shed light on this important issue while helping consumers ask the right questions of their respective Financial Advisors. Basic questions include:

?    How are you and your firm compensated?

?    Do you receive referral fees from attorneys, accountants, insurance professionals, mortgage brokers, or others?

These questions and others can be found on NAPFA's Fiduciary Questionnaire, which is only one of many sources of information that NAPFA has developed and posted at www.focusonfiduciary.com. The Website also provides for the media and consumers:

?    A new multimedia flash presentation

?    A new podcast show - The Fiduciary Voice - available on iTunes and www.focusonfiduciary.com

?    Educational materials

?    Public Service Announcements, flyers, and posters

NAPFA also has launched a "Wake-Up Congress" Campaign to make legislators aware of the fiduciary issue.

"Consumers aren't clear about what a Fiduciary Standard is within the context of financial planning,"

said Micah Porter. "I hope the Focus on Fiduciary campaign clarifies that for them. Understanding the degree to which the advisor is accountable for his or her actions is a critical component when dealing with something as important with finances."

Consumers and financial professionals looking for information on the Focus on Fiduciary campaign can visit www.FocusonFiduciary.com.

ABOUT NAPFA

Since 1983, The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) has provided Fee-Only financial planners across the country with some of the strictest guidelines possible for professional competency, comprehensive financial planning, and Fee-Only compensation. With more than 1,600 members across the country, NAPFA is the leading professional association in the United States dedicated to the advancement of Fee-Only financial planning.

For more information on NAPFA, please visit www.NAPFA.org. For more information about the NAPFA Consumer Education Foundation, please visit www.NAPFAFoundation.org.

About Minerva Planning Group

The mission of Minerva Planning Group is to provide clients financial peace-of-mind as they pursue their life goals, secure in the knowledge that they have a strong plan in place, and their financial assets are well-managed in accordance with that plan.

If you would like more information on Minerva Planning Group, please visit their website at www.minervaplanninggroup.com, or call Jennifer Taylor at 404.357.6815.

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