Regulatory reform

Regulators and Washington policy makers are sure to up scrutiny once the dust settles on the market turmoil that has buffeted GameStop and others.

“The sheriff is coming to the preeminent financial regulator in the world,” said Justin Slaughter, a consultant at Mercury Strategies. “It means regulation and enforcement are about to get much tougher.”

With a new administration, the regulator has an opportunity to renew its focus on a key pillar of its mission.

With a divided government, some proposals are bound to change as part of the give-and-take of the legislative process, writes Skip Schweiss.

With a Democrat set to take the White House in January, the agenda for agencies like the CFPB could undergo a rapid transformation, housing finance reform could be turned on its head and progressive banking ideas that were unthinkable over the past four years could gain traction.

The uncertainty could lead to market volatility, delayed stimulus negotiations and complicate planning for a potentially new regulatory environment.

What different outcomes could mean for financial planners and their clients.

The Labor Department has opened the door to using PE as a component of a target date fund held within a DC plan, writes iCapital Network CEO Lawrence Calcano.

From regulations to taxes, big changes could be in the offing.

Industry groups warn of creeping fiduciary obligations, while consumer advocates see it as a setback for investor protections

The party’s draft party platform criticizes lax standards implemented by the Trump administration, and vows to strengthen Social Security.

A weaker U.S. dollar and a rollback of some of the 2017 tax cuts are just two possibilities, experts say.

A Democratic-led SEC could revisit Reg BI, advocacy groups and industry observers say.

The change is one of several made to the board’s disciplinary reporting process following a report by an independent task force that found “systemic, long-standing, governance-level weaknesses.”

FSI aims for a pragmatic approach when advocating on behalf of more than 90 independent broker-dealers and 30,000 financial advisors, Deputy General Counsel Robin Traxler says in an episode of the Financial Planning podcast.

Only a firm “actively swindling funds” would trigger an onsite visit, according to Peter Driscoll.

The policy change may prompt more defendants to reach settlements, an attorney says.

Some attorneys say it's welcome relief, but how long will it take to get new hearing dates?

"If rules are too broad or vague, we may end up circumscribing conduct that we never intended to capture,” Commissioner Allison Herren Lee said.

In an hour-long session, justices considered the agency's use of “disgorgement” to collect money from someone the commission sues in federal court.