What does Directed Brokerage refer to?

Directed Brokerage refers to a client request or adviser requirement to direct trades to a specific broker. This practice occurs when a client specifies the broker through whom they want their trades executed, often based on a preference for a particular brokerage firm's services, or potentially due to relationships or arrangements that benefit the client or the adviser.

This concept is important in the context of fiduciary duty and best execution obligations that investment advisers must uphold, ensuring that clients' interests are prioritized when executing trades. Directed Brokerage may also involve considerations of how commissions are handled, and whether directed trades may affect the overall cost that clients incur.

Other options, while seemingly related, do not accurately define Directed Brokerage. For example, the notion of reducing costs does not directly correlate with the definition and implications of directing trades specifically to a broker. Similarly, executing trades without client involvement does not align with the active and intentional directive that characterizes Directed Brokerage. Lastly, aiding all brokers in executing trades is not a central tenet of the practice; rather, the focus is on the specific direction from the client or adviser to a chosen broker.