Michael Zeuner spoke recently at a conference in Geneva, Switzerland in front of 150 bankers, lawyers, and trustees, about how the new fiduciary standard will impact trustees and advisors.
Daylian Cain NYU Presentation
Yale business professor, Daylian Cain, is a prolific researcher on conflicts of interest. His notoriety in investment advice policy circles was further enhanced when the Obama administration cited his work in 2015, as it argued for the DOL Conflicts of Interest Rule.
In June 2016, Cain offered a quick (seven minute video) synopsis of his thinking. The video can be found here.
One key point in professor Cain’s synopsis highlighted in this one-page summary deserves special attention. It underscores why a policy of avoiding conflicts is far superior to a policy of accepting and disclosing conflicts. The point is the potential impact of conflicts on everyone. As Cain notes, “Yet, (its not just the bad apples)… normal people are also capable of really bad behavior.”
Institute launches the Campaign for Investors
The Institute for the Fiduciary Standard today launched its Campaign for Investors, a groundbreaking initiative to help investors find financial advisors who best meet their needs and serve their interests first.
Fiduciary rule got support from a surprising contingent
Over the years the Department of Labor spent developing and then reworking the fiduciary rule, Assistant Secretary Phyllis Borzi and her colleagues regularly received support from a surprising quarter – people who work for some of the companies that most vehemently fought it.”
Err on the side of caution with DOL fiduciary rule, Phyllis Borzi advises
DOL fiduciary champion Phyllis Borzi said her agency will help work through specifics that aren’t covered in the new rule requiring retirement advice to be delivered in a client’s best interest. But firms with questions about particular sales practices that aren’t mentioned in the principles-based regulation should probably err on the side of caution, she said.
Vanguard’s Bogle lauds new fiduciary-duty standard for retirement advice
Vanguard founder John Bogle has come out in support of the new fiduciary-duty requirement governing retirement plans, calling the U.S. Department of Labor regulations the “first step” in a movement he has been advocating for decades.
