Category Archives: RIA Compliance

Some Common RIA Mistakes That Regulators Are Focusing On in 2016

Going to start the new year with a rather brief, but important, post. The regulators have announced their intent to perform more RIA audits in 2016. Some recent cases have highlighted issues that do not regularly receive the amount of … Continue reading

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Protecting Your Practice with the Active Management Value Ratio 2.0™

RIAs often have mock audits performed. These audits generally focus on the various regulatory requirements for RIA, including the various documents and internal procedures of an RIA. More often than not, these mock audits do not include a forensic fiduciary … Continue reading

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Investment Industry Has Some ‘Splaining to Do

“[B]rokers’ recommendations must be consistent with their customers’ “best interest.(1) “[A] central aspect of a broker-dealer’s duty of fair dealing is the suitability obligation, which generally requires a broker-dealer to make recommendations that are consistent with the best interests of … Continue reading

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The RIA Name Game

One of my favorite jobs was serving as director of RIA compliance at FSC Securities. I love working with RIAs, as they are clearly the future of the financial services industry. While I loved working with RIAs and helping them … Continue reading

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“Best Interests” For Fiduciaries 101

Facts do not cease to exist simply because they are ignored. – Aldous Huxley With the release of the DOL’s proposed fiduciary regulations, there has been a considerable amount of discussion about what “best interests” really means and how to … Continue reading

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Oil and Water: Fiduciaries and Variable Annuities

The financial services industry continues to try to convince investment advisers and other financial fiduciaries to sell variable annuities. Smart RIAs and other financial fiduciaries ignore these pleas, as they realize that variable annuities are liability traps for fiduciaries, blatant … Continue reading

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Done Deal: The SEC, NASD and FINRA on the Fiduciary Standard

SEC – As we have frequently pointed out, a broker’s recommendations must be consistent with his customer’s best interests. (Wendell D. Belden, Exchange Act Rel. No. 34-47859, 2003) – As we have frequently stated, a broker’s recommendations must be consistent … Continue reading

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The Fiduciary Standard – It’s “Best Interests,” Not “Like Everyone Else”

During a recent deposition of an investment adviser, the adviser told me that was doing the exact same thing as everyone else in the  industry and asked me why I was “targeting” him. Not the first time I have heard … Continue reading

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Three Investment Adviser Fiduciary Traps to Avoid

My last post advising advisers not to prepare and distribute financial plans resulted in several emails, some nice, some not so nice. With over nineteen years of experience in RIA law, both as a director of RIA compliance for FSC … Continue reading

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Financial Plans v. Investment Policy Statements: One, None or Both?

As an investment adviser consultant, one of the first things I ask new adviser clients is whether they prepare financial plans for clients. If so, I advise them not to do so going forward. Simply put, a financial plan in … Continue reading

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