Regulation and Compliance News from Financial Planning

Fiduciary laws trace their roots to ancient times, but the terms of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Investment Advisers Act are still evolving today.

A similar measure stalled years ago, but some advisors say the current bill has more momentum among lawmakers.

The Internal Revenue Service increased the annual retirement plan contribution limits for 2026 thanks to cost-of-living adjustments for inflation.

The Financial Services Institute is pressing the Securities and Exchange Commission to adopt formal procedures to prevent what it deems the sometimes capricious enforcement of industry rules.

The higher standard deduction since 2017 has dramatically reduced itemization. But the new law provides incentive for teachers to consider whether that's feasible.

Political instability and other pressures are feeding some clients' portfolio fears, advisors say in this month's Financial Advisor Confidence Outlook.

Scary good voice cloning technology means advisors can no longer believe what — or more accurately, who — they're hearing on the phone. Rigorous verification protocols are the new key to gaining client trust.

Americans tend to be overly pessimistic about their own life expectancy — a fact with major implications for retirement planning. But new research shows that certain interventions can help.

The industry asked for and received a delay in the rule from the IRS in 2023. Now that it's going into effect, here are the key implications for sponsors and savers.

Bad things can happen when advisory firm employees experiment with shiny new AI applications. An innocent "test drive" could trigger data breaches and compliance snafus.

A credit scare last month could have been a momentary blip, but financial advisors have always known there are a lot of risks in private investments.

AI note-takers have become increasingly common among advisors. So has the use of wearable AI recording devices among the general population. What happens when the tables are turned?

The share of test takers who pass the CFP Board's exam has risen significantly in recent years, but experts are divided on what's behind the change.

Firms of all sizes have had to think through the compliance concerns and rank AI tasks in order of difficulty, ADVISE AI panelists said.

Bankruptcies at First Brands and Tricolor should be a wake-up call for banks exposed to the private credit market. Banks should treat indirect lending to shadow banks as a high-risk activity that demands active oversight.

In an ever-expanding and constantly shifting profession marked by messy but important debates, can one of the field's most important organizations keep up with the times?

Across more than two years of advisor surveys, industry worries have evolved dramatically. Yet certain themes continue to capture attention.

An expert adviser explains the many considerations to take into account before deciding on this as an option for employees.

Speakers on an "AI & Compliance" panel at Financial Planning's ADVISE AI conference say advisors can use existing basic compliance principles to make sure their AI use doesn't step on any regulatory landmines.

The Federal Open Market Committee voted to reduce interest rates by 25 basis points Wednesday, but the emergence of dissents on the committee makes the chance of another quarter-point cut in December less certain.