Is every financial advisor a fiduciary?

No. "Financial advisor" is not itself a regulated title, and plenty of people who use it operate under Regulation Best Interest rather than a continuous fiduciary duty. Whether someone is a fiduciary depends on their registration, generally as an investment adviser representative of an RIA, not on their job title or how they describe themselves.

How do I check if my advisor is actually a fiduciary?

Look them up directly. Use IAPD if they present themselves as an investment adviser representative, or FINRA BrokerCheck if they're a broker-dealer representative. You can also ask them directly and request it in writing; a fiduciary should be able to state that plainly without hedging.

Does fiduciary mean cheaper?

Not automatically. It changes whose interest a recommendation is supposed to serve, not the price of the advice itself. It does tend to remove the incentive to push a costlier product purely because it pays the advisor more, but comparing actual fees is still a separate, worthwhile step.

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