The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has been called on to introduce fiduciary duty "as a standard of care".
Nick Cann, chief executive of the Institute of Financial Planning (IFP), also called on the FSA to increase focus on educating consumers on seeking out who owe fiduciary duty to clients, Citywire.co.uk has reported.
According to the IFP, fiduciary duty would help in the rebuilding of consumer confidence in financial services, the website revealed.
"Financial planners have a fiduciary duty to their clients. Other forms of advisers do not, especially those whose role is simply to sell products," Mr Cann explained.
The IFP has now called for professional body members to be distinguished from advisers who are not and said they should be treated differently.
Mr Cann's comments came in response to FSA's retail distribution review paper CP09/31, which was published in December.
The body also recently published its Mortgage Market Review feedback statement, which summarised responses received after its Mortgage Market Review discussion paper.