Brokers and investment advisers are legally obligated to know their client.
That doesn't mean they know how a client takes their coffee, or what they really think of the GOAT. It means that they understand the client's goals, financial situation, and comfort levels when it comes to risk. Knowing this stuff lets the pros make good investment decisions on behalf of the client, and lets them offer the right advice.
Like...you have a 26-year-old who just inherited a million bucks from old Uncle Larry. They're just finishing their doctoral dissertation in Computer Science. There will be a line around the block of employers courting them. They have no debt, and really don't want to own much of anything other than a nice computer. So that million bucks likely gets steered into lots of small company investments which likely pay no or small dividends. And are expected to grow a lot over the next decades.
However, if you knew that this client was scared of his own shadow, always thought that the sky was falling, and just didn't want stock market volatility anywhere in his life...well, then maybe you'd put half of his portfolio in bonds or some safer, saner equity investment that paid a fat dividend.
Knowing your client changes...everything (sometimes).
Related or Semi-related Video
Finance: What are Prudent Investor Rule ...7 Views
finance a la shmoop what are prudent invest our rule standards via know your
client rule and unsuitable recommendations well let's start with
the prudent investor rule standards their standards for what is rational [Man discussing prudent investor rules]
like those who can't afford to take a ton of risk think little old ladies who
are retired with just enough money to make it to you know the end well they [Old woman with pocket watch]
can't afford to take the risk of volatile equities like a small cap fund
that can whipsaw 30% up and 30% down in any given year no way not acceptable not
suitable not prudent or what about they're investing in a venture capital
fund or a private equity fund that takes seven years or more before it normally
even begins to distribute IPO sales or proceeds so no in seven years that [Woman counting cash]
little old lady is more likely doing the backstroke 24 by 7 yeah well
recommending venture capital investments to a little old lady who needs cash [Old lady and little pooch graves]
liquidity to make payments on her dentures is an unsuitable recommendation
you can't do that so what's prudent or suitable for her well bonds government
bonds shaken not stirred maybe a few corporate bonds and maybe a spicy 10 or [old lady's portfolio piechart appears]
maybe 20% of her portfolio allocated to equities with a lot of safe boring
dividend yield think companies like AT&T and GE and IBM oil companies a whole lot
of nice boring math on her way to the grave then what if the client is a [Insurance company man approaches girl with cheque]
parentless teenager who just inherited a million bucks from mom and dad courtesy
of the insurance company of the drunk driver who killed them both when they [Police sirens appear]
cross the double yellow line should that teen be in government bonds no that
would be unsuitable at least not all in government bonds in fact probably very
little in government bonds why well for that teen a heaping allocation to a
small calf equity fund is totally prudent appropriate and smart because [Equity fund growth graph appears]
that teen likely has decades maybe even half a century before she'll want to
call or use that money so time will bail her out of the year-to-year short-term
volatility because over time the market goes up and
usually a lot let's gaze for a moment on this beautiful S&P 500 stock chart for [Stock chart for S&P 500]
glassed-in and give her to take century kind of lovely well the basic idea for
this rule is that the financial advisor has to recommend investments that are [Financial advisor reading piece of paper]
prudent and appropriate given the client's age health financial needs
appetite for risk their own career strength likelihood of being abducted by
aliens etc and a time at which point they'll need to turn their investments [Alien spacecraft hangs over city]
into cash to pay for stuff well the good financial adviser knows her client and
there actually is a rule called the know your client rule but you can only know
them so well before you start you know crossing the lines [Man sleeping and woman lying awake in bed]
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