Fi360 Fiduciary Talk

While the direction of health care is nearly impossible to predict, the rise in health savings accounts appears to be inevitable. And under the DOL fiduciary rule, advice on these accounts will be considered a fiduciary act. In this episode, Blaine and Duane discuss HSAs and what advisors need to know when considering these accounts for their clients.

As new guaranteed income solutions crop up in the market, regulators appear to be on board with making them more accessible via 401(k) plans. In this episode, Blaine and Duane discuss the trends driving the guaranteed income market and what regulators have said in terms of making them available to participants, including as QDIAs.

When the government engages in rulemaking, as in the case of the DOL’s “fiduciary” rule, their duty is to develop policies that are in the bests interests of the public. Does that equate to a fiduciary duty akin to the one expected for investment advisors? In this episode, Blaine makes the argument that it does and discusses with Duane the sources of those fiduciary duties.

Even with a delay possibly forthcoming via the President’s executive order, the DOL’s “Fiduciary” Rule won an important victory when it was upheld in a Texas court decision. In this episode, Blaine and Duane discuss the latest developments in the ongoing battle over the DOL Conflict of Interest rule, what happens next, and what advisors should do now.

In this episode, Blaine and Duane discuss the release of a second set of FAQs from the DOL on its Conflicts of Interest Rule. The new FAQs cover a number of scenarios, with a particular focus on activities that would not be considered fiduciary recommendations under the new definition.

An overlooked aspect of the DOL’s fiduciary rule is that it introduces a “holding out” fiduciary status, where titles that imply fiduciary status will hold the advisor to that standard. Even with the uncertainty around the fiduciary rule, this trend appears likely to continue, as even opponents of the rule have demonstrated support for regulating titles that cause confusion with the investing public.

Fi360's director, J. Richard Lynch, AIF® was a guest on the 401k Study Group Radio show with Chuck Hammond discussing what the AIF® is and how advisors should be using it.

Blaine and Duane discuss the SEC’s proposed changes to public company disclosures under regulations S-K and the central role the information plays in the fiduciary process.

With the 2016 election just days away, Blaine chats with Duane about what a Clinton or Trump administration would mean for advisors, including what’s on their respective campaign platforms and turnover at the regulatory agencies. In addition, they take a look at the implications of the Congressional elections.

Ben Aikin, Vice President of Learning and Development of fi360 and Wes Stillman, Founder and President of Rightsize Solutions, discuss the vulnerabilities most advisors share and the steps any advisor can take now to better protect themselves from Cyberattacks.