A fiduciary is legally required to act in your best interests — not their own, not their firm’s. This is an enforceable standard, not a marketing claim. CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professionals, for example, must complete a rigorous educational program, pass a comprehensive national exam, accumulate thousands of hours of professional experience, and adhere to a strict code of ethics. They are also subject to SEC and FINRA oversight, which means fiduciaries are subject to real regulatory consequences for advice that harms clients. Most people who turn to social media for financial guidance don’t know that this accountability structure exists — or that the creators in their feed operate entirely outside it. That gap matters, especially when the decisions being made affect someone’s financial life for decades.