Articles Tagged with investment advisors

Financial industry stakeholders are all locked in a guessing game about the fate of the DOL Fiduciary rule in the new Trump administration. In 2015, the Obama administration and the DOL had introduced the Fiduciary rule that requires financial advisers to always act in the best interest of their clients when handling their retirement savings and removing unnecessary fees. Wall Street had continued to oppose it on the grounds of excessive costs and paperwork. The initial implementation deadline for the rule is set for April 2017.

According to an Investment News report, industry lobbyists are now expecting a quick response from the seemingly “business first” Trump administration to delay this investment advice rule. They expect the Fiduciary rule to be one of the first targets of the new administration. This delay could come in the form of a directive to agency heads to review and delay regulations that are not operational.

There are two courses that are expected: the Trump administration may issue an order to delay the implementation of the fiduciary rule and have another regulation, an “interim rule” in its place. Or they could propose a delay but this would be tricky because for a rule that technically became effective last June, the administration is legally obligated under the Administrative Procedure Act to go through a public notice and comment period.

Last year, the Obama administration introduced the Fiduciary rule that requires financial advisers to always act in the best interest of their clients when handling their retirement savings. It was expected to be a big industry shakeup, making financial advice more reliable, compensating advisers with a flat-fee model and reasonable compensations, incentivizing them to really act on their client’s best interest as opposed to their own personal gain. The DOL’s Fiduciary rule was aimed at stopping the $17 billion a year that gets wasted in exorbitant fees.

The banks and Wall Street have continued to oppose this rule on grounds of lengthy paperwork and compliance expenses. Financial firms were anxious that once the rule is in effect, they will not be able to make as much money. Republicans have expressed that repealing this rule is on their agenda. Now with Trump as the President elect, and Republicans holding majority in both Houses, there is a fear that legislative action will be taken to kill the much-needed Fiduciary rule.

Joseph Peiffer of PIABA (Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association) was quoted in the InvestmentNews, “If he (Trump) wins, no one knows what the hell is going to happen.” Now that Trump has won, the fate of the rule hangs in the balance. There are others who think that the rule is here to stay, inspite of the unpredictability.

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