The biggest difference between the Advice-Only Directory and other advisor lists and directories is who pays, and as a result, who’s in the directory.
The Advice-Only Directory gets its funding from consumers using the directory. We don’t charge or accept any money from the advisors listed in the directory. We choose to include only advisors who give advice but don’t manage investments because we believe it’s the best way to receive financial advice (see Why Advice-Only?).
Most other lists and directories are free to the consumers but they’re paid by the advisors. Because advisors who sell products for a big commission and advisors who charge large recurring investment management fees have the most to gain and they have the deeper pocket to pay for listings, they tend to dominate those other lists and directories.
Some Advice-Only advisors are also in other lists and directories but they’re buried among many other advisors who sell products or manage investments. It’s very difficult to find an Advice-Only advisor in those other lists. While it would be easy for other lists and directories to add a flag or filter to distinguish advisors who sell for commissions or manage investments from those who don’t, adding the flag or filter will alienate the advisors that pay them.
We eliminate this conflict of interest when we get 100% of our funding from the consumers.