Advisors, brokers, insurance agents, planners, can act as a Fiduciary to their client. A Fiduciary is typically a registered investment advisor that is not a dual role advisor and is required to advise in the best interest of the client. Otherwise, the advising professional is only required to maintain a suitability standard to their client, meaning the investments they choose must be suitable for your situation. In the great recession of 2008-09 many investors were not served well by the suitability standard.