RegEd Regulatory Affairs Team, Author at RegEd.com

FAQs for IAR CE: What to Know About NASAA’s Investment Adviser Representative Continuing Education Model Rule

Several states have adopted and implemented investment adviser representative continuing education (IAR CE) requirements, while many other states continue to join them in implementing these new requirements. Once implemented, Investment adviser representatives have until the compliance date to meet IAR CE requirements if they conduct advisory business in a state that has adopted the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA)’s Investment Adviser Representative Continuing Education Model Rule. As an approved IAR CE provider, RegEd answers some of the most common questions that IARs and firms have about these first-time requirements. To see a map of adopted states, visit here. Implementing […]

Key Takeaways from ARM Annual Conference 2025

Our regulatory affairs team was onsite at the ARM Annual Educational Conference 2025 and gathered key insights from the sessions and discussions that took place. The conference brought together industry leaders and experts to discuss the latest developments and best practices in regulatory affairs, focusing on compliance, registration processes, continuing education, and technological advancements. Here’s a look at some of the most important takeaways from the event. Key Changes to FINRA Fees & MFA In November 2024, FINRA approved new fee increases scheduled for 2026, which will impact all registration fees. This includes the introduction of a tiered fee structure […]

Key Takeaways from the FINRA 2025 Annual Conference: Embracing Change and Innovation in Financial Regulation

The FINRA 2025 Annual Conference provided a comprehensive look into the evolving landscape of financial regulation and the ongoing efforts to enhance market integrity, investor protection, and operational efficiency. Several RegEd subject matter experts, including members of our regulatory affairs team, were in attendance, and they made note of these key takeaways from the event. As the financial services industry faces new challenges and opportunities, key discussions from this year’s conference focused on modernizing regulatory practices, enhancing cybersecurity measures, and leveraging innovative technologies like AI. Here are the major insights and takeaways from the event: 1. Modernizing Regulation: Adapting to […]

Insurance Compliance Lifecycle: A Closed-Loop Process to Managing Regulatory Change Successfully

Each year, thousands of regulatory changes are made that could materially affect the insurance industry, and the number is rising. In any given year, more than 40,000 regulations—including legislative bills, administrative rules, bulletins, advisories, alerts, directives, and interpretive guidance—must be vetted to determine if they affect the business of insurance. According to RegEd’s internal research, there were about 2,400 new or revised state regulations enacted or adopted that directly affected the insurance industry in 2013. In 2021, there were over 3,300, an increase of almost 40%. As the number escalates, new regulations themselves are becoming more complex, especially around risk […]

Market Conduct Exams: Best Practices to Ensure a Smooth Process and Stay Under the Radar for Future Examinations

By David Sheehan For an insurance company, the key objective of a market conduct examination (MCE) is to avoid it. As regulators pay more attention to problem areas, behaving well in the marketplace in the first place mitigates the chances of being examined. The No. 1 defense against an unscheduled market conduct examination is a documented and well managed compliance program, and companies that follow a few best practices find they can stay under the regulatory radar, and when they are selected for examination, they can be fully prepared to make it go smoothly. 1. Know the handbook. The NAIC’s […]

SEC Issues New Guidance on IA Marketing Rule: Key Takeaways for Compliance and Marketing Teams

On March 20, 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued additional guidance on its Investment Adviser Marketing Rule, clarifying longstanding gray areas that have challenged compliance teams and marketing departments alike. While the new FAQs provide helpful interpretations, they may also necessitate revisions to existing advertising materials, especially for firms promoting performance metrics. Key Highlights of the New SEC Guidance The Marketing Rule, originally adopted in 2020, has transformed the landscape for investment adviser advertising, consolidating decades-old advertising regulations into a modernized framework. Yet, some provisions remained open to interpretation. The SEC’s latest guidance specifically addresses how advisers […]

Key Takeaways from FINRA’s 2025 Annual Regulatory Oversight Report: What Compliance Professionals Need to Know

Each year, FINRA’s Annual Regulatory Oversight Report serves as a critical resource for compliance professionals, outlining evolving risks, regulatory expectations, and areas where firms continue to face challenges. The 2025 report reflects key developments across multiple risk areas, emphasizing third-party risk management, artificial intelligence (AI), the remote inspections pilot, outside business activities (OBA), private securities transactions (PST), and communications with the public among others. For firms, these insights are not just a review of recent findings — they offer a roadmap for where FINRA’s examiners will be focusing their attention in 2025. Below, we break down some key takeaways from […]

It’s the Final Countdown…Get Your IAR CE Renewals Straight; Don’t be Late!

Happy Renewal Season!!! As year-end 2024 approaches, it’s a great time to review the Investment Adviser Representative Continuing Education (IAR CE) status for your associates required to satisfy this annual requirement. IARs who fail to satisfy their IAR CE requirement for two consecutive years risk being administratively terminated in jurisdictions that have implemented an IAR CE requirement unless they satisfy ‘at a minimum’ the full 2023 requirement before year-end 2024. Although not rocket science, there are some complexities around the unique nature of the IAR CE program that still creates some confusion for the industry. For example, it’s important to […]

Complying with Pay-to-Play Rules in an Election Year

Complying with Pay-to-Play Rules in an Election Year This year’s government elections pose a compliance challenge for registered investment advisory (RIA) firms. When it comes to politics, investment advisers and their covered associates can be as passionate as any voters. But “pay-to-play” rules prohibit advisers from making some political donations that many other voters could. SEC Rule 206(4)-5 considers it to be unlawful for investment advisers to provide investment advisory services for compensation to a government entity within two years after a contribution to an ‘official’ of the government entity is made by the investment adviser or any of its covered […]

Is your regulatory branch inspection program prepared to support the new FINRA Remote Inspections Pilot Program and Requirements for Residential Supervisory Locations?

In January of this year, FINRA published Regulatory Notice 24-02 announcing the effective dates for the Remote Inspection Pilot Program (Pilot) and the Residential Supervisory Locations (RSLs). Those dates are now rapidly approaching and firms must make decisions on whether to participate in the Pilot Program this year and how to apply the RSL rule. A primary driver in the Pilot decision is whether the technology the firm uses will allow the firm to meet the tracking, findings, and reporting intricacies under the Rules. RegEd’s Branch Audit Management solution enables Pilot-participating firms to meet the new requirements. It also allows […]

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