The concept of always selflessly acting in the best interest ofsomeone else has long been considered an admirable trait.

Remember when everything was all-Kardashian, all the time? Itseemed like we just couldn't get enough of that crazy family. Theywere everywhere: TV, radio, Twitter – there wasn't a mediaor a medium that they didn't dominate.

And then…

Well, we're far past “peak Kardashian.” Sure, they still pop upevery now and then, but not at the nauseating rate they once did.Their novelty and its associated hype has run its course.

And that's a good thing.

Has “fiduciary” experienced the same career arc asthe Kardashian clan? (See “Does 'Fiduciary' Matter Anymore?”FiduciaryNews.com, July 9, 2019).

Statistics suggest it has.

And that's also a good thing.

Only not for the reason you think.

“Fiduciary,” you see, occupies a different placein our lives than the Kardashians. “Fiduciary” has utility. In thatsense, if we're going to liken it to a product, it'd be more likethe personal computer or, more recently, the smart phone. Whenthese gadgets first debuted, we couldn't read enough aboutthem.

Yes, in those ancient days, we read about them. We didn't watchvideos or listened to talks expounding on their uniqueness. Why?Because smartphones had yet to achieve the pervasiveness they havepresently. That critical mass of users has made podcasts andYouTube the norms they are today.

Ironically, except self-help demonstrations pertaining to thelatest (and sometimes not-so-latest) apps, these videos andpodcasts rarely talk about smartphones. Oh, yeah, maybe a (very)brief flurry of shows pop up to coincide with a new release of apopular brand, but we're seeing less enthusiasm even for that.

And that's a good thing.

Smartphones (and personal computers) have become part of ourlives. They aren't novelties. It'd be hard to even call themluxuries.

No, they're necessities.

Ever misplace your cell phone, even for only a day? Forgetkeeping up with your Facebook friends. The truth is, you can't dowork. Cell phones have become necessities because they have madeour jobs – and our lives – more efficient. These omnipresentcommunicators have unleashed a personal freedom unlike ever seenbefore in the history of mankind.

And that, too, is a good thing. It acts as a positivecounterbalance to all that time-wasting caused by constantlymonitoring your Facebook account. (Seriously, do cool people evendo Facebook anymore? I'm not sure if the Kardashians are even usingit as much as they once did.)

So, perhaps, it is with “fiduciary.” The concept of alwaysselflessly acting in the best interest of someone else has longbeen considered an admirable trait. As soon as the marketplaceunderstood how that attribute could be applied to their personalfinances, there was no looking back.

There was an initial fascination phase. Everyone wanted tounderstand the idea of “fiduciary” and why it had been kept hiddenfrom them for so long. This was a period when it seemed every otherheadline contained the word “fiduciary” in it, when talk showscouldn't stop talking about “fiduciary,” when even mainstreamcomedy shows like HBO's Last Week with John Oliver famouslyfeatured a segment on “fiduciary.”

Fascination eventually evolves into commonplace, and so, too,has it become for “fiduciary.”

And that, thankfully, is a very good thing.

READ MORE:

A 3-word fiduciary rule — Carosa

The 'Fiduciary Rule' versus the 'Rule of Fiduciary'— Carosa

Do you have the 'knows' to be a fiduciary? —Carosa