Free Form ADV Part 2 template available to advisers

Ascendant Compliance Management, a consulting and educational firm that works with advisers, investment managers, broker-dealers and hedge funds is offering an ADV Part 2 template for free download from their site. After writing about a template being available from another company for cost I was contacted by Ascendant about theirs. “Yes, free means free with no strings attached,” Melissa Higgins of Ascendant wrote back to me in an e-mail. “We gather only basic contact information and offer the opportunity to answer further questions, but it is not required,” she added. I registered in less than a minute and downloaded a zip file that contained two Microsoft Word template documents that were full of helpful information including sample language and a table of contents. There is also a set of nine Adobe PDF help documents that offer guidance. The firm also offers “ComplianceCasts,” webcasts that offer more in depth guidance (these cost $195 to attend, though paid attendees can go back and view these at a later date as well; viewing of past webcasts costs $145 for non-attendees). She wrote that the firm is also covering the topic of the forms and requirements as part of a pre-conference workshop in Washington DC on September 26. About 100 attendees are expected for the conference in addition to speakers and staff. “We have recently completed a new ADV “Getting Started” session, which is in the process of being transferred to archives,” Ms. Higgins wrote. The next live session is Oct. 14, “Form ADV Part 2: The Next Steps.” For more information visit Ascendant online (Note: Once the page opens hit the "home" link or any of the other links across the bottom of the page and when that opens see the large button to the right of the home page screen that takes you to the form download --- I missed it at first). For more information on the new requirements directly from the SEC visit these links: Investor Bulletin: Amendments to Form ADV – New Disclosure Requirements for Investment Advisers SEC Approves Disclosure Form Changes to Provide Investors Greater Information About Their Investment Advisers Related stories: Protracker rolls out Form ADV Part 2 software New requirements related to disclosure loom for advisers SEC gives OK to major redesign of ADV Part 2