To date, the fiduciary debate media coverage has been largely limited to industry outlets, selected personal finance writers and occasional pieces in The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Much of this reporting has been very good. Yet, the debate has generally not been covered by broader consumer media as a general interest story. This may be changing. A couple weeks ago the Cleveland Plain Dealer ran an excellent story on the peculiar politics engendered by this issue. This past Friday TIME writer Christopher Mathews dissected the politics and policies intertwined in the brokerage industry — DOL debate and simply concluded, “The fact that the industry admits that it would have to drop the business of lower-income folks if forced to act in their best interest should tell you all you need to know about the value of its advice.”

Moving this debate from a largely Wall Street and Washington insiders story to a broader consumer story where brokerage industry and fiduciary advocate arguments gain wider exposure, discussion and scrutiny is vitally important. The Plain Dealer and TIME stories are just two examples. More are sure to follow and will help policymakers view all sides of the issue.”