Former Fidelity Brokerage Reps Says They Were Pressured to Make Sales That Conflicted With CFP Ethic Codes

A number of Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC representatives who left the company last year say that they were obligated to acquire certified financial planner certification but were also barred from revealing that part of their bonuses were affected by whether they sold certain proprietary products. About half of Fidelity brokers’ compensation is salary and the remainder is in bonuses. The ex-brokers say they were pressured into selling Fidelity’s life insurance products and Portfolio Advisory Services.

One ex-broker said that he had to meet 80% of his sales target in PAS in order to qualify for the investment portion of the manager bonus and not receive an employment warning. Other brokers say that they were monitored weekly and comparisons were made between them and other representatives to spur productivity. Still another ex-broker said they were warned that representatives who didn’t get the CFP by mid-2009 would be let go.

The Fidelity Investments brokerage unit removed the CFP mandate this January, the same month that that the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. instituted a new code of ethics and professional responsibility that obligates certified planners to notify clients about any conflicts of interest. A number of ex-Fidelity brokers says that Fidelity Brokerage withdrew the requirement because approximately 18% of the more than 275 account executives with its Private Client Group resigned last year.

Fidelity disputes the former brokers’ accounts and says that attrition isn’t unusual, broker compensation doesn’t conflict with clients’ best interests, and bonuses are not affected by proprietary products’ sales. A company spokesperson also says that the CFP requirement was withdrawn so that qualified candidates wouldn’t be discouraged from joining the private-client unit and the decision had no connection to service offering. Fidelity says it still encourages representatives to get the CFP.

Related Web Resources:
Ex-Fidelity reps claim sales pressure, Investment News, April 5, 2009
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc.

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