No matter what twists and turns the federal government takes on its travels down Fiduciary Definition Lane, Joseph Rinaldi believes he will arrive at his desired destination: his client’s best interest.
Doing right by his clients is the foundational cornerstone on which Rinaldi built his firm, Quantum Financial Advisors, Inc., nearly two decades ago. He had just left his work assisting the federal government regain losses associated with the federally-backed banking assets taken over during the S&L crisis in the late 1980s. After trading more than $40 billion of assets, Rinaldi has more than a hands-on knowledge of the importance of transparency in financial transactions – he wears the glove that fits.
“If you, as an advisor, focus on putting your clients’ needs ahead of your own, you will always satisfy any fiduciary rule or definition twist that comes out in the law,” Rinaldi said. “The key is that being a fiduciary starts and ends with educating clients and especially always explaining what fees are involved.”
Rinaldi believes that financial education ought to begin long before an individual is even age eligible to become a client. He suggests that children as young as age nine should have a parental-supervised online account – with a small dollar amount – by which they can begin dabbling in the stock market buying and selling stocks via the guidance of their parents or guardian.
Exposing young minds to the power of investing and to the power of compounding is key, Rinaldi believes, to changing the prevalent instant gratification culture in America to one that values long-term financial stability.
Rinaldi, the president and chief investment officer, of Quantum Financial Advisors, Inc., is active in promoting financial literacy beyond his direct work with clients. He teaches a course titled, “Futures, Options, and Derivatives” at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland in College Park, and also at the Stern School of Business at New York University, District of Columbia campus.
Along with one of his partners at Quantum Financial Advisors, Inc., Howard Lodge, Rinaldi co-authored the book, “A Beginning Guide to Alternative Assets” that is also translated into Chinese and Spanish.
“We are reaching out to promote financial literacy to other cultures within the United States and abroad,” he explained. “Language should not be a barrier to financial literacy. There is no reason why people that want to learn what investments are all about can’t do so in their own language.”
Learn more about Quantum Financial Advisors, Inc., online at: qfainc.com
