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

We just wanted to say thanks for your work in helping us get back some of the money we lost. We are not by any means rich, but we have saved some money and we have done so through a tight-fisted approach to most everything we do. So losing a significant chunk of money hurt…especially at a time when everyone else was growing their accounts. We really appreciate the work you did.

Allan and Adele

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1785858278 Law
August 4, 2026
SEC Fines Former LPL Broker $125,000 for Undisclosed Conflicts in Private Securities Offerings

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has censured a former LPL Financial broker and imposed a $125,000 civil penalty after finding that he failed to disclose conflicts of interest related to private real estate securities offerings that generated nearly $1.5 million in compensation, as reported by AdvisorHub.

1785772777 Law
August 3, 2026
FINRA Launches Review of High-Risk Structured Notes Sales and Supervision

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has launched a regulatory sweep examining the sale of high-risk structured products, with particular attention on non-principal protected "worst-of" structured notes, according to AdvisorHub.

1785531573 Law
July 31, 2026
Former Alabama Financial Advisor Barred After Selling His Practice

The U.S.