Professional conduct and ethics
What you'll be able to do
Act with honesty and within your competence; if a recommendation wouldn't survive being read aloud later, don't make it.
- Conduct = honesty, integrity, fair dealing, competence, no pressure.
- Stay within your licence and knowledge; refer what exceeds it.
- Grey-area test: would it embarrass you if reviewed later?
Beyond specific rules sits professional conduct: honesty, integrity, fair dealing, and competence. It means not misrepresenting products or returns, not pressuring or rushing a client, respecting their right to say no, and staying within the limits of your licence and knowledge. When a situation exceeds your expertise — a complex tax or estate question — the professional move is to refer, not to improvise.
Ethics shows up most in the grey areas the rulebook doesn't cover. The reliable test is simple: would this recommendation embarrass you if the client's family, your compliance officer, or a regulator reviewed it later? If you'd hesitate to have it read aloud, don't do it. Reputation in this industry compounds like interest — slowly, then decisively.
Conduct also includes how you treat vulnerable clients — the elderly, the grieving, the financially inexperienced — where the duty to act carefully is heightened. Slowing down, involving a trusted contact where appropriate, and documenting extra care are marks of the professional.
Key points
- Conduct = honesty, integrity, fair dealing, competence, no pressure.
- Stay within your licence and knowledge; refer what exceeds it.
- Grey-area test: would it embarrass you if reviewed later?
- Heightened care for vulnerable clients.
Examples
Asked a detailed estate-tax question outside their expertise, a strong rep says, 'That's worth getting right with a tax/estate specialist — let me connect you,' rather than guessing.
Pitfalls
- Improvising answers outside your licence or competence.
- Rushing or pressuring a client toward a decision.
Ask your sales coach
In a real Adept rollout this routes to your firm's compliance-approved Claude project; in the demo it opens a fresh Claude chat. Never share real client details.