Tr?id=566623520170033&ev=PageView&noscript=1

SEC Warns Financial Advisory Firms Regarding Conflicts of Interest Tied to Compensation

Posted on August 16th, 2022 at 2:37 PM
SEC Warns Financial Advisory Firms Regarding Conflicts of Interest Tied to Compensation

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has sent a warning to financial advisory firms that they must go above and beyond solely disclosing conflicts of interest related to employee pay programs in order to avoid regulatory scrutiny.

According to a recent SEC staff bulletin, the SEC is seeking to dissuade firms from taking a “check-the-box” approach to achieve compliance as advisors are being held responsible for identifying, disclosing and potentially eliminating conflicts of interest. The SEC additionally noted that financial advisory firms should closely monitor conflicts of interest that may develop from employee compensation because pay incentives may motivate an advisor to put their own interests ahead of their clients.

According to the SEC bulletin, firms also ought to avoid “compensation thresholds” that disproportionately increase pay via “incremental increases in sales of certain products or provision of certain services.” The bulletin additionally instructed firms to monitor sales and recommendations provided to clients when advisors are approaching thresholds for firm recognition.

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, regulatory and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, advisors, sec

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

Thank you for your professional assistance with this matter. You are very good at what you do.

John T.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1786394861 Law
August 10, 2026
FINRA Fines RBC Capital Markets $275,000 Over Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Deficiencies

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has censured and fined RBC Capital Markets $275,000 after determining that the firm failed to establish and implement reasonable anti-money laundering (AML) policies and procedures.

1786394691 Law
August 10, 2026
Federal Judge Rejects Merrill Lynch's Renewed Bid to Force Dynasty Into FINRA Arbitration

A federal judge has denied Merrill Lynch's second attempt to compel Dynasty Financial Partners to arbitrate a high-profile dispute arising from allegations that the registered investment adviser (RIA) platform orchestrated the departure of a large Atlanta-based advisory team, according to AdvisorHub.

1786029344 Law
August 6, 2026
Account Takeover Fraud Continues to Rise as Cybercriminals Refine Their Tactics

Cybercriminals continue to refine account takeover schemes, driving billions of dollars in losses for businesses and consumers each year.