AdvisorLaw has dominated the FINRA arbitration environment since being branded the "800-pound gorilla." We’ve successfully completed more advisor-initiated expungements than the rest of the industry combined. Over the past seven...

Now is a good time to sell your financial advisory or wealth management practice. This month, at its 10th Deals and Dealmakers Summit, California investment-banking firm, Echelon Partners, reported “higher...

Financial advisors and wealth managers should be very concerned with the potential consequences of negative Forms U5. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has launched a two-pronged attack on its...

Depending on your business location, the average salary for a small RIA firm’s Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) is likely around $120,000 annually. But that doesn't include: health Insurancestate taxesfederal taxessocial...

This year’s SEC examination priorities focused primarily on Standards of Conduct and whether advisers are acting consistently with their fiduciary duty to clients — exploring duties of care and loyalty,...

FINRA has carried out more than 600 firm exams since the implementation of Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) in June 2020. Exactly a year later, the Securities and Exchange Commission...

If you’re interested in buying a financial practice but need additional financing to get the ball rolling, there are a number of considerations to take into account. On this week’s...

Last month, we publicized FINRA's new attempt at gutting the expungement process for advisors who wish to clear their records of meritless complaints (SR-FINRA-2022-024). The highlights of the proposed rule...

In the first half of 2022, the Securities & Exchange Commission and the Department of Labor implemented or proposed a number of significant changes to the regulatory regime governing registered...

FINRA just released its annual report. Every year at AdvisorLaw, I have a hard time reconciling the sheer amount of money floating around this self-regulatory organization (SRO) and the relatively...

When you’re looking to sell your advisory firm or RIA, there are many factors at play that could impact how seamless and profitable the transaction will be. This week on “Ask...

A proposed rule that would strengthen the disclosure requirements and scrutiny of private fund advisors is being fought by investment advisors and RIA firms. The extended comment period has officially...

Evaluations Under FINRA Rule 4111 FINRA-member firms and brokers across the U.S. have been under immense pressure over the last month since FINRA began its firm evaluations under the new...

AdvisorLaw stays ahead of SEC and state regulatory changes so that RIAs can focus on building and growing their business. Custom-tailored to each individual firm, we provide an array of...

FINRA’s Form U5 filing requirement is a one-sided weapon that firms frequently employ in their attempts to obliterate financial advisors’ and wealth managers’ careers. We have seen hundreds of cases...

M&A activity is still at an all-time high, inspiring many advisers to sell their registered investment advisor practice or wealth management book of business. RIA merger and acquisition activity had...

*Notices from FINRA or the SEC are extremely time-sensitive. If you received an enforcement action, call us right now at (303) 952-4025 to talk with an attorney and receive a priority consultation...

As of June 1st, the new FINRA Rule 4111 is now effective, and the SRO has been hard at work attempting to highlight and hold accountable firms that house an...

One of the final stages of a FINRA investigation is an on-the-record interview, or "OTR." An OTR is similar to a deposition or interrogation that focuses on an investment-related or...

After leaving a firm, should you worry about your Form U5? When it comes to leaving a broker-dealer or wirehouse — whether on a voluntary or involuntary basis — every...