UPDATE (03.12.2020): Since the publishing of this blog post the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has infected more than 130,267 confirmed unique cases and has killed over 4,700 of those affected across 125 countries. The recent outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread to … Read More
Every now and then, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) encounters a case that serves as a textbook example of everything that can go awry when a firm deems fraud more important than fiduciary responsibility. On December 19, 2019, … Read More
Senior retail investors and cybersecurity. The only thing they have in common is their presence on the list of examination priorities this year for the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE). The priorities are published … Read More
A focus on the retail investor and cyber-related misconduct resulted in a record total of $4.3 billion in disgorgements and penalties ordered by the Securities Exchange Commission in 2019. Among the Commission’s 862 enforcement actions were a $100 million fine … Read More
Eric Clarke, chief executive officer for Orion Advisor Solutions (Orion), was interviewed for Financial Planning’s Lightning Round. In the interview, Clarke describes the greatest threat to independent advisors as changes occur in the regulatory landscape. Clarke describes utilizing technology … Read More
As the first filing deadline for the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) new Form CRS is approaching on June 30, 2020, the SEC Division of Investment Management and Division of Trading and Markets have published a frequently asked questions document … Read More
Charles Schwab Corp. announced it has agreed to purchase TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. for $26 billion in an all-stock transaction, combining two of the largest custody service providers to independent financial advisers. After the merger, the combined firm will have … Read More
On October 16, 2019, The Securities and Exchange Commission filed an emergency action and obtained an asset freeze against 18 traders in a multiyear scheme to manipulate more than 3,900 U.S.-listed securities that resulted in more than $31 million in … Read More
Compliance officers at investment advisory firms which serve retail clients will soon be impacted by the newly required relationship summary in Form ADV Part 3 (Form CRS).
On October 11, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced it had filed an emergency action against two offshore entities for conducting an alleged unregistered and ongoing digital token offering in the U.S. and overseas that has raised more than … Read More