1. A Meeting To Consider Bills Designed To Revamp Dodd-Frank Has Been Postponed
(Matching tags: banks,Congress,Dodd-Frank)

  The House Agricultural Committee has postponed a meeting on bills introduced for the purpose of negating some of the effects of the Dodd-Frank legislation. Some consider the action ill-timed in ...

2. FINRA's Estimate Of Cost Of Establishing And Maintaining An SRO For RIAs Challenged By Coalition Representing RIAs
(Matching tags: RIA compliance,RIAs,broker-dealers,registered investment advisors,compliance,CFP Board,NAPFA,Congress,Dodd-Frank,TD Ameritrade)

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's (FINRA) estimate of the cost to setup, operate and oversee a self-regulatory organization (SRO) for investment advisers (IA) underestimates overhead costs ...

3. Legislation After The Election Will Be Particularly Impactful On The Investment Landscape
(Matching tags: retirement,Congress,social security,debt)

There are multiple factors that determine how much money your clients will need in retirement. The issues facing Congress from a budget standpoint are right in there with them. Calculators that help ...

4. RIAs Don’t Seem To Care Very Much About The Regulatory Debate; Reaction To Last Week’s FINRA-SRO News Was Muted
(Matching tags: RIA compliance,RIAs,SRO,NAPFA,Congress,Dodd-Frank,fiduciaries,FINRA,sec)

When news broke last Wednesday about the reintroduction of legislation that would make FINRA the regulator of RIAs, all of the advisor trade publications covered the story. Financial Planning even issued ...

5. Republicans Call It Class Warfare, While Democrats Call It Unfair: The Debate Over Income Inequality Is Likely To Be A Presidential Election Issue
(Matching tags: economy,Congress,tax law)

Income inequality issue will be a prominent issue in this year’s presidential election and it is throwing a spotlight on two respected French economists whose research shows income inequality has ...

6. Buffet Rule Gets Defeated In The Senate During A Vote Along Party Lines
(Matching tags: new tax rules,Taxes,Congress)

  The Buffet Rule, a.k.a the Paying A Fair Share Act, which would have subjected high income earners to a 30% minimum tax rate, came up short of the 60 Senate votes needed to advance. A recent Gallup ...

7. Congressional Pressure Is Building For Fiduciary Redefinition
(Matching tags: Congress,fiduciaries,regulation)

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 ...

8. Baucus Proposal To Liquidate IRAs Within Five Years Of Death Meets Its Own Death
(Matching tags: IRA,Congress)

In one of the more perplexing legislative chain of events it appears that Senator Max Baucus’ proposal that IRAs must be liquidated within five years of death has met its own death, at least ...

9. New Budget Foray For 2013 Exacerbates Congressional Divide
(Matching tags: Congress,economy,outlook)

As Republicans try to push through a different budget limit for 2013, Democrats are pointing fingers. A budget figure agreement was reached between the two parties in August of 2011 and the figure selected ...

10. Shoot The Fiduciary Messenger? Or Use The Debate To Spark Propitious Thinking...
(Matching tags: investment fiduciaries,compliance,Congress,Dodd-Frank,fiduciaries)

The fiduciary debate is reopening a deep schism that has divided independent financial advisors for decades. Rather than fuel the controversy, the purpose of this post is to open an ongoing professional ...

11. SEC Gropes Toward A Cost/Benefit Analysis Of Advisor Reform
(Matching tags: Dodd-Frank,Congress)

After well over a year of rhetoric and no little consternation in the industry, the SEC is moving toward laying out the costs and benefits of various far-reaching reform measures on the table.

12. Chair Of House Committee Supporting FINRA As Regulator Of RIAs Faces Insider Trading Probe
(Matching tags: Congress)

The head of the House financial services committee, Spencer Bachus of Alabama, is under investigation for possibly violating insider trading laws.

13. With Tax Law Changes So Uncertain, How Should Advisors Approach Year-End Tax Planning?
(Matching tags: year end tax planning,estate planning,Internal Revenue Service,IRS,planning,tax planning,Congress)

With the time for year-end tax planning upon us, advisors should step back, get some perspective, and ask themselves. With so much uncertainty about how tax laws might change in the months ahead, how ...

14. Top 1% Of Earners Doubled Their Share Of The Nation's Income Over Last 30 Years, Says Government Study
(Matching tags: Congress,U.S. economy)

The top 1% of earners more than doubled their share of the nation’s income over the last three decades, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday. In a new report likely to figure prominently ...

15. Video: Congressional Panel On Advisor Regulation
(Matching tags: Congress)

If you'd like to watch yesterday's Congressional hearing on whether brokers should be fiduciaries and who should oversee registered investment advisors, here it is.  ...

16. Draft House Bill Shows Congress Is Leaning Toward An RIA SRO
(Matching tags: Congress,FINRA,registered investment advisors,RIA compliance)

After months of speculation and debate, the House Financial Services Committee has drafted a bill that would force investment advisors to join an as-yet-unnamed self-regulatory organization.

17. Debt Deal May Not Cut Spending Enough To Avoid Downgrade Of U.S. Credit Rating
(Matching tags: U.S. economy,outlook,Congress)

While the major credit agencies declined to comment on the debt deal passed by the House Monday, some economists are saying a downgrade remains likely.

18. Financial Advisors Of The Tea Party Holding Course On Allocations
(Matching tags: Congress,Treasury bonds,U.S. economy,values)

As far as advisors affiliated with the Tea Party are concerned, the prospect of a U.S. debt default is just par for the course. They aren't changing their clients' allocations.

19. Lawmakers Reach A Deal On The Debt Ceiling But Credit Downgrade Remains A Threat
(Matching tags: outlook,Congress,U.S. economy,stocks)

Congress is set to vote today on a deal reached Sunday to raise the debt ceiling, avoid default and cut spending by at least $917 billion over 10 years.  ...

20. Mary Schapiro Still Committed To Universal Fiduciary Standard, Warns On SEC Funding Issues
(Matching tags: Dodd-Frank,fiduciaries,Congress,sec)

At least as far as the SEC is concerned, the concept of a uniform fiduciary code for RIAs and brokerage firms does not necessarily mean "separate but equal," but the prospect may be moot without ...