Monitoring, Testing, and Scaling Your Compliance

What steps have you taken this year to better protect yourself and your business from the multitude of compliance risks? If you can list at least a few steps taken, congratulations are in order.  You have recognized that, much like you need homeowner’s insurance to protect your home and your physical assets, you need to […]

The Danger of Delayed Compliance and Steps You Can Take To Remediate Your Risk

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In December, we published “A 2021 Regulatory Outlook: 4 Critical Areas for Agents and Advisors”, a blog post highlighting the compliance risks we could face in 2021. One of the primary purposes of that blog was to relay the fact that the regulatory environment for our industry is changing – perhaps more rapidly than at […]

Choosing a Compliance Partner (and why you should have one)

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Regulatory compliance, risk assessment, and risk remediation for your business can be an overwhelming task. To simplify this process, some agents and advisors choose to partner with a compliance expert. Whether you choose to hire someone in-house or engage with a consultant, you will want to ensure they are right for your practice.  Agents and […]

The Role of the Fiduciary & Investment Advice Regulation

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 The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) recently implemented “Improving Investment Advice for Worker & Retirees,” an exemption for investment advice fiduciaries. The DOL’s definition of fiduciary is another regulatory requirement that retirement advisors act in the best interests of their clients and put their clients’ interests above their own. The […]

The New SEC Advertising Marketing Rule Explained By A Marketer

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The new SEC Marketing Rule is designed to comprehensively and efficiently regulate advisers’ marketing communications with clarifications related to endorsements, testimonials, and third-party ratings. The new Marketing Rule’s framework is a combination of  principles-based provisions and requirements for certain types of advertisements.  But, what does this mean for your marketing strategy?   The Marketing Rule, Your […]

The Value of a Compliance Self-Assessment for Insurance Advisors

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You might be asking yourself, “why should I spend time on compliance for my practice”? Well, we know that compliance tends to get a bad rap because it is often associated with laws, regulations, enforcement actions, and penalties for those who do not follow the rules. It also takes valuable time, effort,  and resources from […]

Your Four Obligations under NAIC’s “Best Interest” Model Regulation

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Editorial Note: Please note that information in this blog is not meant to address all aspects of the Model Regulation, or any variations in individual state laws or regulations, and should not be considered legal advice. View additional resources, including an FAQ for the Best Interest Model Regulation on DMI’s My Back Office. In February […]

The Proliferation of Social Media – And How to Manage Your Risks

Social media compliance: these three words can strike fear into the heart of any insurance agent in the financial industry. At its most basic, social media compliance simply means following the rules when using social media to engage with the public. As technology continues to advance, social media platforms have become an integral part of […]