More On Legal & Compliance
from The Advisor's Professional Library- Scope of the Fiduciary Duty Owed by Investment Advisors A fiduciary obligation goes beyond the suitability standard typically owed by registered representatives of broker-dealer firms to clients. The relationship is built on the premise that the advisor will always do the right thing for the person or entity receiving advice.
- Dealings With Qualified Clients and Accredited Investors Depending upon an RIAs business model and investment strategies, it may be important to identify “qualified clients” and “accredited investors.” The Dodd-Frank Act authorized the SEC to change which clients are defined by those terms.
One of those priorities has to do with making sure the financial services reform bill remains strong; Senator Chris Dodd said in an April 19 press conference that he plans on "moving forward this week with a bill" in the Senate. On "Meet the Press" on April 18, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said he was very confident that "we're going to have the votes for a strong package of financial reforms." Another Administration official, the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, Christine Romer argued in an April 17 speech that the current high rate of unemployment was due to a drop in demand, not a "separate, structural problem."
This week's earnings include Citigroup on April 19, TD Ameritrade, and Bank of New York/Mellon on April 20, and Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo on April 21.
Economic reports include the Conference Board's leading indicators for March on April 19 (it was up 1.4% for the month), producer prices and existing home sales for March on April 22, and new-home sales and durable goods orders for March on April 23.
Congressional hearings include the Senate Finance Committee on taxing big banks under TARP and the House Financial Services Committee on the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy (featuring Mr. Geithner and Ben Bernanke) both on April 20, and the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on the role of credit-ratings agencies in the financial crisis on April 23.
