The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, also known as FINRA, is not a governmental body like the SEC or state RIA regulators, but it still plays a major role in how RIA firms are run and overseen. FINRA is a private, non-profit, self-regulatory organization for broker-dealers. It operates on appointment by the SEC and can levy […]
The Department of Labor Fiduciary Rule is set to start a year-long rollout in April 2017, placing fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interest of the client on the shoulders of independent broker-dealers, investment advisors, and other professionals who deal with investment accounts covered under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
If you’re shopping around for a powerful RIA compliance software package, you’ve already taken a crucial first step towards ensuring that your firm is audit-ready.
It’s inevitable: your RIA firm will be audited. The SEC and state regulators have been steadily increasing the number of RIA audits each year, and if your firm hasn’t been visited yet, it’s only a matter of time. And whether it’s your firm’s first RIA audit or not, you need to be prepared.
SmartRIA’s founder Roger Kiger was featured today in an interview on Financial Advisor Magazine’s blog. The interview explores how Mr. Kiger went from principal of a wealth management firm to a technology entrepreneur by creating RIA compliance software to manage his firm’s needs.
Are you using a simple checklist to keep track of your RIA compliance requirements? If so, you might not be covering all of the complex documents and tasks vital to the health of your business. Compliance can quickly become overwhelming without the right tools to support your processes.
RIA compliance can be so difficult to navigate that it’s easy to lose sight of what it’s all about. Compliance isn’t busywork to keep the SEC off our backs; it’s a safeguard for you and your clients, one that protects both you and them.
Since the U.S. Department of Labor passed its new Fiduciary Rule back in April, the investment industry has been rife with discussion and speculation. Will it change the way we do business? How is this different from SEC or state compliance? Will it add to our time and labor costs? What is even required under […]
The regulations and requirements for registered investment advisors have changed a lot in the last decade, and RIA compliance continues to evolve. But what are the types of RIA compliance, and how can you know which regulatory agency you’re required to comply with?
Everyone’s heard the cliché that time is money. But as a registered investment advisor, this is especially true for you. Your time equals money, both for you and your clients. The more time you can devote to providing the most beneficial, insightful, and valuable wealth management guidance you’re able, the happier your clients will be […]
