Fiduciary September, established in 2012 by the Institute, is the Institute’s annual month-long special recognition of the vital role of fiduciary duties for investors and the capital markets.

Institute president, Knut A. Rostad said in a statement, “The SEC proposals, coming after Dodd-Frank and the rise and the fall of the DOL COI Rule, keep adviser and broker conduct standards center stage, for nine years now. Fiduciary exhaustion syndrome (FES) has set in. Still, these proposals demand advisers’ attention. Reg BI is important, arguably as important as the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Scholars, advisers and, experts will discuss why on September 21st. Industry leaders will discuss fiduciary practices, culture and work ethic that differentiates fiduciary and non-fiduciary firms on October 15th.”

TD Ameritrade Institutional, which provides custody services to more than 6,000 independent RIAs, is the exclusive sponsor of Fiduciary September.

“We’re proud once again to support Fiduciary September, which each year gathers the industry’s leading voices to debate and discuss the importance of the fiduciary standard,” said Skip Schweiss, managing director of advisor advocacy & industry affairs at TD Ameritrade Institutional. “For more than a decade, we’ve been staunch advocates for independent RIAs and their client-first approach. The Institute and its programs deliver a valuable service by continuing to shine a spotlight on fiduciary principles.”

Fiduciary September programs begin September 18 and run through October 15.

Events

September 11 – Announcement of 2018 Fiduciary September Program

September 18 – 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET. Via conference call: 857-232-0159; 626004

Proposed SEC Disclosures on Advisers and Brokers: What do experts and Main Street investors, next-generation financial planners think? The SEC’s next investor roundtable is in Baltimore September 20th. As a preview, learn what prior SEC roundtable investors said and hear from Texas Tech financial planning students who have reviewed the disclosures. Hear analysis from expert, Deborah Bosley, the Plain Writing Group.

September 21 – 9:15 AM-1:00 PM ET. Texas Tech University, Lubbock Texas. ALSO, remotely via conference call / webinar.

Frankel Fiduciary Prize Award, Program: “SEC Proposal Reg BI; Is it a ‘Suitable’ Best Interest Standard?” Join fiduciary advisors, experts, scholars: Patti Houlihan, Bob Veres, Ron Rhoades, Deborah DeMott, Mercer Bullard, and Arthur Laby to discuss fiduciary duties and honor the 2018 Frankel Fiduciary Prize honoree, Harold Evensky. To attend remotely, email: Vickie.Hampton@ttu.edu

October 15 – 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET. Philadelphia, PA, The Philadelphia 201 Hotel, 201 North 17^th Street.

In collaboration with NAPFA’s Fall Conference, October 15-18. “Leadership through Fiduciary.” Program to highlight strategies of fiduciary, fee-only advisers: Speakers include: Brian Hamburger, Ron Rhoades, Bill Prewitt, Dan Moisand, Michael Koffler, and Skip Schweiss. Hear how fee-only RIAs are uniquely equipped to lead in an era of new challenges posed by new market forces, service offerings, and investor demands.

News

• September 15, 2018 – Institute Releases Analysis of Six Investor Roundtables
• September 17, 2018 – SEC Investor Roundtables Reveal Investors Often Do Not Understand Form CRS
• September 17, 2018 – The Plain Language Group’s Form CRS Relationship Summary Hypothetical Disclosure
• October 15, 2018 – Leading Advisors, Experts to Discuss Leveraging Fiduciary / Fee Only Practices and Culture at ‘Leadership Through Fiduciary’ 
• October 16, 2018 – Bob Veres, Inside Information, comment on Knut Rostad’s recent blog in Advisor Perspectives on the SEC Reg BI.
• January 14, 2019 – Panel Transcript: Fiduciary “Mindset” and Policies and Practices Starkly Differ from Sales Brokers’ Payouts and Production

Media Coverage

• September 18, 2018 – Fiduciary Group: Brokers Must Tell Customers ‘We Do Not Represent You’
• September 18, 2018 – Exclusive Interview: Harold Evensky says DOL Fiduciary Opened “Good” Pandora’s Box
• September 19, 2018 – Reg BI Disclosure Does Not Pass Readability Test
• September 26, 2018 – The Investment World According to Harold Evensky
• October 16, 2018 – ‘It’s a freak show out there’: RIAs call for increased transparency
• October 17, 2018 – Investors Want To Hear More On Fees And Conflicts, CFA Institute Reports