Fiduciary standard

Restoring fee-model disclosures to its website is just the first step in correcting the organization’s “monumental failure,” according to fiduciary watchdog Ron Rhoades.

The decision does not diminish the board's conviction that consumers have a right to know how they are paying for products and services, writes the former board chairwoman.

“The only reason why I could see them doing that is shame,” one critic says of the move; the board calls it an important shift in the conversation about fiduciary care.

The commission “failed to enact a meaningful conduct rule,” state regulator William Galvin says.

Trade groups warn that a proposal could end commissions in the state and play into a "fractured" regulatory environment nationwide.

SEC-mandated disclosures for dual registrants could put clients off brokerage options, some suggest.

Contributing to these accounts makes sense for clients who anticipate higher tax rates in the future.

While these 20 dizzying changes will throw some for a loop, financial advisors and their clients grow more powerful each year.

Businesses, particularly small ones, are looking for help to limit liability when sponsoring defined contribution plans.

“We all agree a conflict could arise in the future,” Schweiss says. “There are ways of potentially dealing with that.”