Following an election that resulted in narrow Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, it will be difficult for the U.S. Congress to advance major financial-reform legislation. Therefore, the focus this year will be on the Securities and Exchange Commission, which will have a Democratic majority on its five-member panel during the Biden administration, according to panelists on a Feb. 18 InvestmentNews webinar.
“The primary focus of Congress will be to provide political space for [Biden’s] new regulators to operate and to shine a light on the work the SEC and [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau] can do to make things better for investors and consumers,” said Maryland Securities Commissioner Melanie Senter Lubin.
Ken Bentsen Jr., chief executive of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, and Barbara Roper, director of investor protection at the Consumer Federation of America, were the other two panelists on the one-hour webcast.
[Watch: View the entire one-hour webcast]
Among the topics covered in the wide-ranging conversation were:
By listening for what truly matters and where clients want to make a difference, advisors can avoid politics and help build more personal strategies.
JPMorgan and RBC have also welcomed ex-UBS advisors in Texas, while Steward Partners and SpirePoint make new additions in the Sun Belt.
Counsel representing Lisa Cook argued the president's pattern of publicly blasting the Fed calls the foundation for her firing into question.
The two firms violated the Advisers Act and Reg BI by making misleading statements and failing to disclose conflicts to retail and retirement plan investors, according to the regulator.
Elsewhere, two breakaway teams from Morgan Stanley and Merrill unite to form a $2 billion RIA, while a Texas-based independent merges with a Bay Area advisory practice.
Orion's Tom Wilson on delivering coordinated, high-touch service in a world where returns alone no longer set you apart.
Barely a decade old, registered index-linked annuities have quickly surged in popularity, thanks to their unique blend of protection and growth potential—an appealing option for investors looking to chart a steadier course through today's choppy market waters, says Myles Lambert, Brighthouse Financial.
