Regulatory

Fiduciary Capacity Isn't A Term That Only Applies To You; It May Also Apply To Your Clients

http://iimagelibrary1.advisorproducts.com/images/igallery/original/2401-2500/cash_coins__1166_-2409.jpg
Many of your clients are acting in a fiduciary manner and may not even know it, says Don Trone, who created the Global Fiduciary Strategist (GFS) standard. Trone offers practical advice as your clients look to you to support them in fulfilling their own fiduciary roles.

Read more ...

Cottage Industry Springs Up Around Compliance In Use Of Social Media

http://iimagelibrary1.advisorproducts.com/images/igallery/original/1301-1400/meetings_at_computer__1088_-1331.jpg
  The entrance of social media outlets like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook have posed a challenge to industry firms. How can they take advantage of these huge new marketing and community building media and stay compliant with regulatory guidelines? New challenges give birth to entrepreneurial ideas and this time is no exception.

Read more ...

Congressional Pressure Is Building For Fiduciary Redefinition

http://iimagelibrary1.advisorproducts.com/images/igallery/original/1401-1500/meetings_boardroom__1080_-1440.jpg
The Department of Labor (DOL) is feeling Congressional heat on the length of time it is taking to redefine fiduciary duty. Its collaboration with the SEC, timing of the redefinition, and the inclusion of IRA accounts under the fiduciary umbrella are top areas of concern. Congress has the view that businesses need to know what to do.

Read more ...

The SEC Is Updating Its Technology Systems To Better Detect Fraud

http://iimagelibrary1.advisorproducts.com/images/igallery/original/2301-2400/cash_coins__1081_-2324.jpg
SEC chair Mary Shapiro told the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association’s (SIFMA) compliance and legal society conference that investigations will become more comprehensive. The SEC is updating its website which will offer more information to investors and make the review process simpler for firms.   A combined qualitative and quantitative approach will alert the agency to firms that are most suspect. New data gathering capabilities will fuel the combined approach and are already producing results. Four hedge funds suspected of inflating returns and misleading inves

Are Registered Reps Capable Of Acting In A Fiduciary Manner?

http://iimagelibrary1.advisorproducts.com/images/igallery/original/1401-1500/meetings_boardroom__1079_-1439.jpg
The term ‘financial advisor’ is a title that remains unregulated. Most clients still have no idea what being a fiduciary means or if their advisor or rep is one. Knowing when an advisor is acting as a fiduciary and when he or she is acting in a brokerage capacity doesn’t mean a loss of that client’s business.

Read more ...