A flurry of a week that saw lawmakers go back to the future, the brokers get more than they bargained for and another good “teachable moment” for investing.
Tag "court ruling"
Has the SEC screwed the pooch regarding the uniform fiduciary standard? Will the same politics infect the DOL’s proposed Fiduciary Rule and Fee Disclosure Rule?
As the fight shift from adopting a fiduciary standard to redefining “fiduciary,” we learn the fee-counters might be counting the chickens before they’re hatched.
Read the fallout from the mass market media op-eds that take opposite sides in the fiduciary standard debate while both taking flack from just one side – those in favor of the fiduciary standard.
Do you get the feeling a this fee talk is just sleight-of-hand? There are so many fees, no wonder why investors are confused between the fees that matter and the fees that don’t matter.
This week we learn to ask the question: “If the regulators don’t care, why should the investors?” Which is like saying “If the police don’t care, why should the victims?” On a brighter note, John Bogle isn’t happy he’s been proven wrong.
Many 401k plan sponsors aren’t aware of fee creep and how it exposes them to greater fiduciary liability. One plan’s ignorance cost it nearly a half million dollars in personal damages.
Just as a major brokerage firm begins to yield on its opposition to the fiduciary standard, the co-author of the bill compelling the SEC to look into it tells the regulator to lay off brokers. And that’s only the beginning. We’ve also see cracks in the cult of ETF (or is it indexing?).
This week features more bad news from Washington for fiduciary fans, the surprising return of the investment debate, the overly simplistic matter of fees and continued dour forebodings regarding pension plans.
Fiduciary News Trending Topics for ERISA Plan Sponsors: Week Ending 10/14/11
Fees remain a hot topic, but maybe the worry should focus on the government. You won’t believe what it’s thinking about doing.