1. Mark Spangler Indicted On 23 Counts Of Fraud And Money Laundering; Government Seeks $41.7 Million
(Matching tags: US investing,RIA compliance,securities fraud,NAPFA,Dodd-Frank,fiduciaries,sec,advisor industry people)

Former NAPFA chairman Mark Spangler was indicted by a Seattle grand jury Thursday, charged criminally with diverting investor $41.7 million from investors into risky start-up ventures in which he had an ...

2. Guest Post: Robert Powell On The Spokesman For The Fiduciary Movement Who Is Now Accused Of Diverting Retirement Plan Assets To His Own Personal Accounts
(Matching tags: RIA compliance,regulation,RIAs,yen,Dodd-Frank,fiduciaries,FINRA,advisor industry people)

The U.S. Department of Labor, in a complaint filed yesterday in U.S. District Court, alleges an advisor used more than $3.2 million of the retirement savings of workers from multiple employers for personal ...

3. CFA Institute Creates List Of Integrity Standards On 50th Anniversary Of Its Code Of Conduct
(Matching tags: integrity,compliance,fiduciaries)

The CFA Institute is raising its standards in light of the lack of trust investors have in our industry as a result of the financial crisis. At its upcoming conference in Chicago, the Institute will unveil ...

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. The Battle Between SIFMA And The Institute For The Fiduciary Standard Heats Up
(Matching tags: fiduciaries,SIFMA,sec)

The battle over the appropriate application of the term “fiduciary” has intensified toward an industry organization, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). The ...

6. Cost-Effectiveness May Derail DOL's Expanded Application Of "Fiduciary"
(Matching tags: regulation,fiduciaries)

The latest development in the Department of Labor’s (DOL) effort to include retirement plan advisors as fiduciaries is centered on cost effectiveness. The expanded application of fiduciary duty ...

7. Building Trust Is The Best Investment Strategy An RIA Can Pursue, Especially Since Financial Services Is The World's Least-Trusted Industry
(Matching tags: client feedback,investment,fiduciaries)

Financial services is the world's least-trusted industry, according to a new survey. The way you earn your living is by working in an industry that's often distrusted. While most advisors cringe at being ...

8. Study Shows That "Fiduciary" Is A Word That Applies Across Asset Levels
(Matching tags: fiduciaries,investor behavior)

Contrary to financial industry views, a recent study found that a fiduciary standard is as beneficial to clients with smaller assets as it is to those with significant assets. The study cited a circumstance ...

9. "Non-Financial Fiduciary Services" Are No Longer An Option And "Softer Side" Services Rightly Enter The Fiduciary Conversation
(Matching tags: fiduciaries,investment strategies,Wealth Management,Wells Fargo)

The movement to include experienced wealth consultants and financial psychologists as part of a client’s regular advisory team just took a mammoth step forward.   A recent white paper ...

10. Does Advising On IRAs Make You A Fiduciary And Can A Computer Model Absolve You Of Your Fiduciary Responsibility?
(Matching tags: regulation,retirement plans,fiduciaries,sec)

AdvisorOne earlier this week reported on how section 408(g) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) Pension Protection Act (PPA), a recent addition to ERISA, might exonerate broker-dealer ...

11. AARP Joins Fiduciary Debate Alongside CFP Board, Financial Planning Association, And Other Consumer And Professonal Associations To Oppose Broker/Dealers And SIFMA
(Matching tags: investment fiduciaries,competitors,RIAs,broker-dealers,independent broker-dealers,compliance,CFP Board,Dodd-Frank,fiduciaries,FINRA,sec,SIFMA)

After years of positioning, the debate over establishing a single fiduciary standard for FINRA-licensed registered representatives and investment advisor representatives alike is finally coming down to ...

12. Clients Need Greater Disclosure And Clear Language In Choosing Advisors
(Matching tags: CFP Board,compliance,fiduciaries,sec)

The Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) Board is becoming more proactive in its recommendations to the SEC. Its latest letter says that clients need more information about advisors to be able to choose ...

13. Fiduciary Capacity Isn't A Term That Only Applies To You; It May Also Apply To Your Clients
(Matching tags: regulation,compliance,Dodd-Frank,fiduciaries,FINRA)

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 ...

14. 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 ...

15. Here's A Chance For You To Participate In The Internet Movement To Improve Everything
(Matching tags: profession,investment fiduciaries,leadership,client education,financial planning,family offices,fiduciaries,Offbeat,investor behavior)

Here's a pre-written email financial advisors can send to local psychologists to get them to sign a petition to create a financial division at American Psychological Association.   If you're ...

16. Being A Fiduciary Is Paying Better
(Matching tags: Advisor businesses,fiduciaries,retirement plans,niches)

LPL Financial Retirement Partners is making it more profitable for advisors who are fiduciaries to retirement plans. Payouts are being increased to 95% from 90%. As more advisors choose retirement plan ...

17. Are Registered Reps Capable Of Acting In A Fiduciary Manner?
(Matching tags: fiduciaries, client education,regulation,profession,practice management)

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 ...

18. See HighTower's "Brokers Are Butchers" Viral Video For Yourself
(Matching tags: fiduciaries,client communications)

Elliot Weissbluth, CEO of HighTower, is actually a talented cartoonist as well as a great communicator. The firm's recent Youtube video gives him a chance to demonstrate both sets of skills -- and take ...

19. More Comment Time Needed For Fiduciary Redefinition
(Matching tags: fiduciaries,investment fiduciaries,investment advisors,interest rates)

The Financial Services Institute (FSI) is trying to get more time to comment on the proposed redefinition by the Department of Labor (DOL) regarding fiduciary responsibility. FSI claims some of the data ...

20. Target Date Fund Safe Harbors Attract a Minefield of Imminent Litigation
(Matching tags: 401(k),advisor technology,asset allocation,client satisfaction,fiduciaries,financial advisor,goals,integrity,investment fiduciaries,retirement,risk,suitability,target date funds,value proposition)

Fiduciaries selecting target date funds (TDFs) generally believe that they are protected from litigation by two safe harbors: QDIA status, & safety in numbers.. But there’s more to selecting ...