Compliance

Despite the benefits of independence, there is an added time, cost, liability and regulatory burden.

Two former National Planning Corporation brokers "are just normal dudes and they just screwed up," says a lawyer for one of the men.

The head of a global standards-setting body argues that regulators overreacted to the financial crisis and says banking-style regulation is a poor fit for the asset management industry.

The world’s biggest investment managers have won a reprieve from plans to label them as systemically important, staving off tougher regulation, as global authorities reassess the move.

Advisors who defect from wirehouses notice almost immediately the benefits of no longer facing constraints set by a large employer's compliance officers. But the newly independent advisors must ensure that they stay within the boundaries of regulatory requirements and that compliance never becomes too time-consuming.

With roughly half of American marriages ending in divorce, advisors are likely to find themselves helping clients navigate the process. Financial advisor and divorce expert Michelle Fox warns advisors not to make clients promises they may not be able to keep.

Labor Secretary tells skeptical lawmakers fiduciary proposal is a needed investor protection, as industry representatives contend rules would force them out of retirement segment.

Regulators are seeking to ensure that post-crisis rules and monetary policy aren’t creating a toxic brew that’ll explode amid a sudden exit by investors.

Advisors should review their employment contracts and other documents to make sure they won't incur liability for taking client information.

The brokerage model as the industry knows it may be pushed aside by a future fiduciary standard.

Complacency is the latest threat facing federal employees.

Debra Ann Paton worked in the brokerage unit of First Tennessee Bank in Johnson City, Tenn. She was expelled for allegedly filing phony expense reports.

Advisors should check to see if both their old firm and new affiliated firm have signed on to the industry protocol for taking client information.

SEC Commissioner Kara Stein is worried that mutual fund sector is moving beyond the reach of the regulators.

Money funds are finding new ways to get the securities they need, opening a door for other institutions to step into roles once dominated by banks.

Two former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. bankers are starting a hedge fund to profit from a void in bank lending.

With the Federal Reserve poised to unleash its first interest rate increase in almost a decade there's a debate among investors about whether the past is any guide to how markets will react to a monetary tightening.

A FINRA arbitration panel ruled in Merrill's favor and against the former wirehouse advisor, although one arbitrator dissented in awarding the firm about $200,000 in attorney's fees.

The three were expelled for stealing from their employer in different ways, including kiting checks and claiming to make ATM withdrawals they never really made.

We have listened to numerous warnings about cyber threats and data breaches. We've been urged to secure networks and prepare response plans in anticipation of an attack, but as we've seen countless times in the news, some businesses have learned the hard way.