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Blaine F. Aikin

Blaine Aikin is the founder and principal of Fiduciary Insights, an independent provider of fiduciary subject matter expertise for organizations that employ or provide services to investment advisors. More details here: Fi36t0 team

Displaying 113 results

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Cultural changes overshadow reform

A shift in culture for investment advisers is overtaking regulatory reform in scope and significance

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Marketing yourself as a fiduciary

The fiduciary standard is all about serving the best interests of investors

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Not delivering on your promises is costly

“Well done is better than well said,” was Benjamin Franklin's wisdom on accountability

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Where does advisory industry go from here?

Without the unequivocal support of all the members of the Securities and Ex-change Commission, just how much can we learn about the future direction of the regulation of investment advice from the two SEC studies that were released last month?

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Rule change takes aim at ‘schlocky advice’

Last month, the Department of Labor proposed to expand the definition of the term “fiduciary” under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974

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Review the process, not just performance

At this time of year, investment stewards — retirement plan sponsors, and managers and trustees of charitable organization investment committees — are receiving 2010 year-end investment performance reports and poring over them to prepare for their first 2011 meetings with their advisers and money managers

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An adjustment is coming for reps

For some time now, there has been a net outflow of advisers from broker-dealers to investment advisory firms

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Dodd-Frank: What it means for sales of proprietary products

During the busy fall conference season for financial professionals, virtually every agenda includes coverage of issues associated with regulatory reform and the extension of the fiduciary standard to brokers and dealers who provide advice to retail investors

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The role of a fiduciary is timeless

As required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, the Securities and Exchange Commission has begun a six-month study of the regulation of brokers under the fair-dealing standard and advisers under the fiduciary standard.

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Goldman proves need for higher standards

While getting pilloried in hearings before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, representatives from The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. characterized their firm as a market maker, denied that they had fiduciary status, and displayed apparent bewilderment at the senators' questions about legal or ethical obligations to place clients' interests first.