Fiduciary Rule

"There are ways to potentially be cute with it. You could potentially cut out retirement business from the back-end bonuses," says an ex-Merrill Lynch executive who works in the independent space. "Cute doesn't usually work when it comes to regulators."

Mutual fund providers sought to use digital platforms as new distribution channels for their funds, but new guidance upends a strategy that would rely only on proprietary products.

The early decision stops advisers from earning commissions on products that will also generate fees through the firm's Investment Advisory Program.

Following Commonwealth Financial Network's decision to cut its commission-based retirement business, some competitors head in the opposite direction.

With the fiduciary rule coming, advisers who have a great offer on the table better act fast, says one headhunter.

New guidance from the Department of Labor provides conditions under which firms can offer bonuses and other compensation incentives.

In an informal poll, the majority of banks and credit unions have made a definitive decision to no longer accept soft marketing dollars.

The decision is effective immediately and was made within hours of the Department of Labor issuing new regulatory guidance on the fiduciary rule's implications.

That extra back-end comp "can create acute conflicts of interest," the Department of Labor says in newly provided regulatory guidance.

Lawyers will likely become "very industrious … and once the trial bar is on to something, you know regulators will look,” a Schwab exec predicts.