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Updated September 18, 2026. Quick answer: It depends which hat Voya Financial Advisors is wearing. As your investment adviser, Voya Financial Advisors owes you a fiduciary duty under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. As your broker-dealer, Voya Financial Advisors owes you Regulation Best Interest, a real and enforceable standard, but not a fiduciary duty. Voya Financial Advisors’ own Form CRS states: “When we provide you with a recommendation as your broker-dealer or act as your investment adviser, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. At the same time, the way we make money creates conflicts with your interests.”
How it’s registered
From Form CRS (Client Relationship Summary) (March 31, 2023): “VFA is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as an investment adviser and a broker-dealer.”
The standard of conduct, in its own words
“When we provide you with a recommendation as your broker-dealer or act as your investment adviser, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. At the same time, the way we make money creates conflicts with your interests.”
On commissions: “If you invest through a broker-dealer account, you will pay a commission, mark-up, mark-down, or a sales charge.”
Fiduciary status by capacity
| Capacity | Registration | Standard you’re owed | Can earn commissions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| As your broker-dealer | SEC-registered broker-dealer | Regulation Best Interest (not a fiduciary duty) | Yes | Form CRS (Client Relationship Summary), March 31, 2023 |
| As your investment adviser | SEC-registered investment adviser | Fiduciary duty (Investment Advisers Act of 1940) | No (asset-based advisory fee: $13,750 a year, 2.75% on a $500,000 account) | Form CRS (Client Relationship Summary), March 31, 2023 |
What this means for what you pay
Fiduciary status is one input, not the whole picture. Voya Financial Advisors discloses a published fee that runs $13,750 a year on a $500,000 account; see the full dollar breakdown from Voya Financial Advisors’ own fee disclosure before deciding whether the standard of conduct here changes your answer.
If the answer above changes your mind about staying, read the general mechanics of switching financial advisors, or use a dated termination letter once you decide.
Compare your next step
Just comparing fees? Keep reading the fee guide.Optional next step
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The form is run by Kapitalwise, our advisor-matching partner. Kapitalwise sends your details to advisers who pay for the introduction, so expect calls and texts. Clear Money Guide is paid when you submit the form, whether or not you ever hire anyone. This is free to you and there is no obligation to hire anyone.
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Ask about the full fee, what it covers and how the adviser is paid. A match is an introduction, not a recommendation from Clear Money Guide.
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The matching service is run by WiserAdvisor, an independent advisor-matching company. It opens on their site, asks for your ZIP code and a few questions, and matches you with 2 to 3 vetted advisors. It is free to you. WiserAdvisor states the service is built for portfolios of $250,000 and above. By submitting, you consent to emails, phone calls and text messages from WiserAdvisor and up to three advisors, so expect to be contacted. Advisers pay for the introduction. Clear Money Guide is paid when you complete the form, whether or not you ever hire anyone. There is no obligation to hire anyone.
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Source: WiserAdvisor’s service descriptionSources
- Form CRS (Client Relationship Summary) (March 31, 2023): https://files.brokercheck.finra.org/crs_2882.pdf
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. (CRD #2882): https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/2882
- Voya Financial Advisors, Inc., SEC Form ADV filing: https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/2882/PDF/2882.pdf
Methodology. This page was built September 18, 2026, quoting directly from Voya Financial Advisors’ own current Form CRS, with the source linked above; any distinction we could not independently confirm this session is named as an honest gap rather than presented as verified. Nothing here is personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice, and it is not a substitute for reading the firm’s own Form CRS. See our Editorial Policy, Corrections, Affiliate Disclosure, and Disclaimer.
What does it actually take to open an account? See Voya Financial Advisors’s minimum investment, quoted verbatim from its own Form ADV Part 2A / wrap-fee brochure.
Weighing whether to move ahead? Read the full Voya Financial Advisors review, including its fiduciary status and what it costs to leave.
Comparing Voya Financial Advisors against other options? See Voya Financial Advisors alternatives, including a lower-fee full-service firm, a flat-fee route, and a robo/hybrid.
Already with Voya Financial Advisors and weighing a move? How to leave Voya Financial Advisors covers what it costs to transfer out.