Fiduciary Advisors in Massachusetts
Browse 3 verified fee-only fiduciary financial advisors in Massachusetts. All advisors have earned the Orange Check badge.
Popular Cities in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has among the strongest investor-protection rules in the country — the state's securities regulator, the Secretary of the Commonwealth Securities Division, has historically pursued a stricter fiduciary standard for brokers than the SEC has at the federal level. Every advisor verified by Fiduciary Check in Massachusetts is a fee-only Registered Investment Adviser confirmed against SEC IAPD and FINRA records.
Massachusetts's Securities Division is part of the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office and is one of the most active state securities regulators in the country. The division has pursued enforcement actions against broker-dealers and investment advisers for conflicts of interest and has adopted a broader definition of fiduciary duty for broker-dealers than the SEC's Reg BI framework.
For investors in Massachusetts, this means the baseline standard for broker recommendations is already higher than in most states. Still, the fiduciary standard for RIAs — which applies continuously, not just at the moment of a sale — provides stronger protection. Fee-only RIAs in Massachusetts cannot accept commissions, trails, or revenue-sharing, which eliminates the primary structural conflicts that even a stricter broker standard still permits.
Showing 1 - 3 of 3 advisors in Massachusetts
Kevin Feig
Christopher Lazzaro
Steve Stanganelli
Frequently Asked Questions: Fiduciary Advisors in Massachusetts
- What is the difference between a fiduciary and a broker in Massachusetts?
- In Massachusetts, a Registered Investment Adviser or Investment Adviser Representative owes clients a fiduciary duty under both federal law (Investment Advisers Act of 1940) and Massachusetts securities law. Massachusetts also has a state-level best-interest regulation for broker-dealers that is stricter than the SEC's Regulation Best Interest. The Secretary of the Commonwealth's Securities Division enforces both rules. A fee-only fiduciary RIA is held to the highest standard of the two.
- How do I find a fiduciary advisor in Boston or the Greater Boston area?
- Use the Fiduciary Check advisor directory filtered to Massachusetts, then narrow by city. Boston and its suburbs — Newton, Wellesley, Waltham, and Cambridge — have a dense market of independent fee-only RIAs serving professionals, academics, executives, and retirees. All results are verified against SEC and FINRA records.
- How do I verify a financial advisor in Massachusetts?
- Search at adviserinfo.sec.gov (SEC IAPD) and brokercheck.finra.org (FINRA BrokerCheck). For state-registered advisers, also check the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Securities Division at sec.state.ma.us.
- Does Massachusetts have its own fiduciary rule for brokers?
- Yes. Massachusetts adopted a fiduciary standard for broker-dealers in 2020 under 950 CMR 12.207, which went beyond the SEC's Regulation Best Interest by requiring brokers to act as fiduciaries — not just in clients' 'best interest' at the point of sale. The rule has faced legal challenges, but Massachusetts continues to enforce a higher standard than most states.