RIA Compliance and Practice Management Blog

Each Friday, we are giving you our weekly report highlighting the top compliance news articles from various industry news publications. We have selected the most relevant and important news articles related to registered investment adviser (RIA) compliance and regulatory issues. This week's recap focuses on the growing number of RIAs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) must examine, the new deadline financial advisers must meet to comply with the Department of Labor’s (DOL) fiduciary rule, the SEC’s new cybersecurity guidelines for investment advisers and broker-dealers, the growing interest among financial advisers to start their own RIA firms and a request by industry groups for an extension on the comment period for the proposed expansion of the Custody Rule.

Here are our top investment adviser compliance articles for the week of Mar. 3, 2023:

According to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Rule 206(4)-7, registered investment advisers (RIA) must, “designate a chief compliance officer (CCO) to be responsible for administering the policies and procedures.”

However, choosing the individual to be your next CCO is often easier said than done.

Selecting the right individual to lead and administer your regulatory compliance program can be the difference between a successful program, which adds value and trust with your customers, and one which puts your firm at risk of regulatory failure and fines.

In this blog, we’ll review some commons dos and don’ts to help you select the right CCO for your RIA firm.

Each Friday, we are giving you our weekly report highlighting the top compliance news articles from various industry news publications. We have selected the most relevant and important news articles related to registered investment adviser (RIA) compliance and regulatory issues. This week's recap focuses on financial advisers attitudes toward wealthtech, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) custody rule and the SEC’s 2023 examination plans.

Here are our top investment adviser compliance articles for the week of Feb. 24, 2023:

Each Friday, we are giving you our weekly report highlighting the top compliance news articles from various industry news publications. We have selected the most relevant and important news articles related to registered investment adviser (RIA) compliance and regulatory issues. This week's recap focuses on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) concern about the potential risks of stablecoins, financial advisers’ attitudes toward the market at the start of 2023, Wealth Enhancement Group CEO Jeff Dekko’s insights on what drives RIA growth, the effect of a Florida ruling on rollover fiduciary requirements and an overview of the SECURE 2.0 Act.

Here are our top investment adviser compliance articles for the week of Feb. 17, 2023:

Each Friday, we are giving you our weekly report highlighting the top compliance news articles from various industry news publications. We have selected the most relevant and important news articles related to registered investment adviser (RIA) compliance and regulatory issues. This week's recap focuses on the market for acquiring RIAs, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) proposed amendment about custodianship, regulations which might debut this year and affect investment advisers, a federal court’s decision to strike down the Department of Labor’s (DOL) guidance about rollovers and how RIAs are hiring in the current state of the U.S. job market.

Here are our top investment adviser compliance articles for the week of Feb. 10, 2023:

Growing your registered investment adviser (RIA) firm is an exciting accomplishment. And one which will come with significant milestones: hiring more team members, getting a bigger office, creating new processes…

One of the most important milestones for every RIA firm? Reaching $100 million assets under management (AUM) and registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). That is, if your RIA firm hasn’t already done so by that point.

To clarify, if you started out as a small- or mid-sized firm, you may have initially registered with your state’s regulators. But as you grow, there comes a time when you may be required to register with the SEC instead.

Here’s a look at when that may be and what the SEC RIA registration requirements are.

As the regulatory landscape for financial advisory firms becomes increasingly complex, many firms are turning to outsourcing as a way to manage their compliance obligations. After all, compliance can be time-consuming and tedious, especially for smaller firms whose chief compliance officer (CCO) is wearing several hats.

However, while outsourcing certain compliance tasks can be a cost-effective solution, it is important to understand the risks and limitations of out-of-house compliance, as well as potential limitations proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The SEC has recently shed more light on how registered investment advisers (RIAs) should approach outsourced compliance tasks while keeping within regulatory guidelines. Read on to learn more about what they said and how you can keep your firm compliant.

Each Friday, we are giving you our weekly report highlighting the top compliance news articles from various industry news publications. We have selected the most relevant and important news articles related to registered investment adviser (RIA) compliance and regulatory issues. This week's recap focuses on the release of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) 2023 exam priorities, amendments to the RIA Custody Rule, a look at cryptocurrency and environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing and a highlight of COMPLY Chief Technology Officer Helen Johnson.

Here are our top investment adviser compliance articles for the week of Feb. 3, 2023:

Each Friday, we are giving you our weekly report highlighting the top compliance news articles from various industry news publications. We have selected the most relevant and important news articles related to registered investment adviser (RIA) compliance and regulatory issues. This week's recap focuses on how the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) conducts its examinations, findings from the SEC’s probes of RIAs over cryptocurrencies, techniques RIAs can implement to find new clients, why some advisers aren’t following the trend of outsourcing portfolio management tasks and the surprising enthusiasm advisers have expressed toward integrating cryptocurrencies into their financial planning.

Here are our top investment adviser compliance articles for the week of Jan. 27, 2023: 

As a registered investment adviser (RIA), you understand the importance of compliance. But keeping up with the latest Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requirements can be incredibly difficult when you’re also juggling client meetings, portfolio management and everything else that comes with the life of an adviser.

Without a dedicated person to keep team members accountable, how can your advisers know for sure they’re following the latest rules and regulations?