Tag Archives: investment advisers

“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

Posted in compliance, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, investments, RIA, RIA Compliance | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, compliance, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, investments, retirement plans, RIA, RIA Compliance, securities compliance, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Closer Look At The “Top” 401(k) Mutual Funds

Each year various publications put out their lists of “top” or “best” mutual funds. I always enjoy going through such lists and performing a forensic analysis of the funds on such lists to get a better analysis of each fund. … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 404c, 404c compliance, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, investments, pension plans, retirement plans, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in compliance, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, RIA Compliance, securities compliance, wealth management | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Robo-advisors: Much Ado About Nothing?

I just finished reading an article about a recent debate between noted financial advisor Ric Edelman and Adam Nash, CEO of robo-advisor Wealthfront. Interestingly, Edelman suggested that robo-advisors would put many financial advisors out of business. My position is simple. … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k investments, 404c, fiduciary law, investments, pension plans, retirement plans, robo-advisors, roboadvisors, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 404c, 404c compliance, compliance, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, investments, pension plans, retirement plans, RIA, RIA Compliance | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Whoomp, There It is! – The New Prudent Fee Fiduciary Standard

“Essential to the plausibility of plaintiffs’ claims was the allegation that the Affiliated Funds ‘charged higher fees than those charged by comparable Vanguard funds-in some instances fees were more than 200 percent higher than those comparable funds’”. With those words … Continue reading

Posted in 401k, 401k compliance, 401k investments, 404c, 404c compliance, compliance, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, investments, pension plans, retirement plans, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in compliance, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, RIA, RIA Compliance | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in compliance, fiduciary compliance, RIA, RIA Compliance, securities compliance | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Art of Fiduciary Investing: Controlling the Controllable

“[I]nvesting intelligently is about controlling the controllable.” Ben Graham, “The Intelligent Investor” The world of fiduciary investing is going through a significant stage, as more attention is being focused on various issues such as advisory fees, annual fees charged by … Continue reading

Posted in 401k compliance, 401k investments, 404c, 404c compliance, compliance, fiduciary compliance, fiduciary law, investments, pension plans, retirement plans, wealth management, wealth preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment