Blog

Get the latest updates on regulatory compliance

Why Rollovers Are the Bridge Between Retirement and Wealth Advice

Blog
One of the most significant structural shifts happening in the wealth industry today is the convergence of retirement planning and wealth management. For decades, these two domains operated independently. Retirement advisors focused on workplace plans, while wealth advisors focused on personal portfolios and long-term financial planning. But as retirement assets grow and client expectations evolve, [...] Read More

The Convergence Era Is Already Here – But Most Firms Are Only Partway There

Blog
For decades, wealth management and retirement planning evolved along parallel tracks. Retirement plan advisors focused on plan design, fiduciary oversight, and participant education. Wealth advisors focused on portfolio construction, financial planning, and long-term client relationships. Today, that separation is dissolving. The industry is entering what many are calling the Convergence Era — a structural shift [...] Read More

Rollovers – Increasing Advisor Participation

Blog
The Rollover Landscape Rollovers represent the single largest organic growth opportunity in the wealth industry now and for decades to come.  Demographic trends, investors' desire to consolidate assets and wealth firms' growing appetite to pursue rollovers are driving this opportunity, estimated to represent $1T in asset movement in 2025.1 However, digging into this data highlights [...] Read More

The Battle For Rollovers Intensifies As Wealth And Retirement Converge

Blog
By Tracey Longo | This article first appeared in the Financial Advisor magazine   The race to capture rollover assets is accelerating as trillions of dollars move from workplace retirement plans into managed accounts, but the lure of these assets is sometimes offset by the accompanying pitfalls of regulatory compliance. While rollovers have always been [...] Read More

What the CFR Conversation Has Made Clear: Execution Is Now the Test

Blog
The conversation around the Client Focus Reforms has moved decisively beyond interpretation. It is abundantly clear that there is little uncertainty about regulatory intent; instead, there is a growing recognition that the real challenge lies in execution — how firms operationalize the requirements in a way that is consistent, defensible, and sustainable over time. Experts [...] Read More

Product Pulse: Meet The New Peer Compare

Blog

A Smarter Way to Deliver Best-Interest Recommendations Peer Compare has entered its next chapter — marking a major evolution in how advisors deliver best-interest product recommendations at scale. This latest release is designed to help firms strengthen trust, improve consistency, and streamline oversight, all while giving advisors a faster, more intuitive way to engage investors. […]

Read More

FINRA’s Annuity Fines: The Reg BI Signal Firms Can’t Ignore

Blog
For the first time, FINRA put Annuities squarely in the regulatory spotlight. “Many of the recent FINRA enforcement actions involving sales-practice and supervisory failures have centered on variable annuities and exchange recommendations—a reflection of the increased scrutiny outlined in FINRA’s 2025 Oversight Report.” FINRA  In its 2025 Annual Regulatory Oversight Report, FINRA elevated annuities to a standalone focus area, sending [...] Read More

Why PTE 2020-02 Remains in Effect

Blog

There has been confusion around the status of PTE 2020-02 due to the existence of two versions issued under different administrations. However, when the regulatory mechanics are properly understood, the conclusion is clear: PTE 2020-02 will remain in effect and required for rollover recommendations.  Two Versions of PTE 2020-02  Original PTE 2020-02 (Trump Administration, 2020): This exemption established the […]

Read More

Regulatory Expectations Are Rising: Success Under CFR’s KYP and the Reasonable Range of Alternatives Requirements

Blog
On December 10, 2025, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) released the findings of their Phase 2 review of Client Focused Reforms (CFRs). This joint report focused on three core areas: Know Your Product (KYP), suitability determination, and the need to assess a “reasonable range of alternatives” when making [...] Read More

FINRA’s 2026 Oversight Report: Communication and Sales Practices

Blog

The 2026 FINRA Annual Regulatory Oversight Report offers insight into the focus areas for the year ahead. The report addresses critical compliance issues under Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI), Form CRS, and recommendations involving annuities, rollovers, and account types. The findings emphasize the need for firms to formalize how they assess costs, evaluate reasonably available alternatives, deliver disclosures, and retain proper […]

Read More