Originally published on ThinkAdvisor.com, May 27, 2014 By Knut A. Rostad Recent statements by two brokerage industry leaders suggest a new way for fiduciary advocates to reframe the fiduciary regulatory battle. Think “disruptive innovation.” First, SIFMA president Ken Bentsen, the voice of the brokerage industry in Washington, recently wrote an extraordinary column on fiduciary […]
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Is DOL Fiduciary a ‘Solution in Search of a Problem?’ Consider the Data
Originally published on ThinkAdvisor.com, March 6, 2014 By Knut A. Rostad Critics of the Department of Labor’s initiative to modernize the 40-year old fiduciary standard under ERISA like to say, despite the mounds of research that suggest the opposite is true, that there’s no need to update the fiduciary standard under ERISA. They assert […]
Why Advisors Should Watch Obama’s State of the Union Speech
Originally published on ThinkAdvisor.com, January 27, 2014 By Knut Rostad Tuesday night President Obama delivers his State of the Union speech. Advisors should take note. Not just for the themes the President strikes or economic policies he advances, but for discerning who is listening. For example, will any of your clients tune in, listen […]
Is the Profession Really Concerned With Rebuilding Investor Trust?
Originally published on ThinkAdvisor.com, December 31, 2013 By Knut Rostad As the year comes to a close, the issue of trust has exploded onto the national screen. The meaning and impact of ObamaCare—and how it was promoted by the president—has, for many, become an issue of trust. Advisors should take note. Our own issue […]
The State of Fiduciary After 1,640 Days: Time for a Reset?
Originally published on ThinkAdvisor.com, December 10, 2013 By Knut A. Rostad Today is the 1,640th day since the Obama Administration recommended that broker investment advice be fiduciary advice. Advisors can be forgiven for feeling worn out by the incessant fiduciary talk and looking for a moratorium on anything fiduciary related. Before doing so, however, […]
5 Years On, Americans See Wall St. as ‘Foreign … a Culture Apart
By Knut A. Rostad Researchers Karlyn Bowman and Andrew Rugg at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI*) have published an important paper that delves into the nature of Americans’ distrust of Wall Street. “Five Years After the Crash: What Americans Think about Wall Street, Banks, Business and Free Enterprise,” also illustrates that Americans clearly distinguish “Wall […]
