See the badge, mister? Shiny, huh? Smudges? Please.

Yep; the sheriff’s in town. At the recent 2022 PLANADVISER National Conference, the ongoing enforcement of the Regulation Best Interest package was a hot topic among SEC speakers, according to -planadvisder.com. The package now is fully enforced. But the subject had plenty of company; other SEC regulatory efforts -- including proposed regulations concerning money market funds, ESG investments and cybersecurity – also were addressed.

The SEC’s updated interpretation of the fiduciary duty as prescribed by the Investment Advisers Act was in total effect as well.

Now, when the law speaks, of course, listening up’s highly recommended. Here, for instance: upon passing a recommendation to a retail customer, brokerage professionals are required to act in a retail customer’s best interest. Putting their own financial or other interest ahead of the retail customer’s interests? Yep: a no no for those professionals.

For more than the past year, Reg. Bi and Form CRS compliance have been in the crosshairs of FINRA and the SEC. That included the maiden SEC Reg. Bi settlement, which occurred in June, according to goodwinlaw.com.

Seems advisors are grooving on model portfolios. 

Why are they among the popular kids on the block?

Well, with the growing commoditization of portfolio management, the portfolios are viewed as an effective means by which to abet the ability of advisors to effectively serve clients and foster the growth of their business, according the latest Cerulli Edge—U.S. Advisor Edition, reported lifehealth.com.

“This saved time can be put toward client-facing activities, a particularly important activity, for example, for younger advisors that are focused on asset gathering and building a book of business,” said Brad Bruenell, associate analyst, the site reported

Then there’s the flexibility of the portfolios. Based on the circumstances of individuals and advisors and their practices, the way fit an advisors’ practice can vary – and in no small way, according to fundssociety.com.

And in the category that some things are downright worth the wait – even if it can be a bit maddening at times – the industry’s gradual segue toward a financial planning oriented service model will represent a potent catalyst toward the adoption of model portfolios, said Cerulli.

NDVR, a Wealth Optimization firm, recently unveiled NDVR Unified Equity, an actively managed personalized indexing strategy. NDVR, which was created by a team of Quant Ph. D.s and technology innovators, offers a proprietary investing platform for high net worth investors that features personalized direct indexing and active factors such as Extended Market, Low Volatility, Momentum, Quality and Value, tax-loss harvesting, and Socially Responsible Investing. The Unified Equity strategy will target traditional alpha, tax alpha, and fee alpha through direct ownership of U.S. equities and is designed to deliver more aligned portfolios with greater efficiency than index funds and separately managed accounts. The strategy starts with a universe of 1,500 large-, mid-, and liquid small-cap stocks traded on U.S. markets. Investors can then create a portfolio using goals, requirements, and investing preferences in the NDVR Portfolio Lab. The NDVR Optimization Engine analyzes that plan and builds a custom portfolio that is optimized to deliver the growth and secured spending that was targeted by the investor.

Finsum: As direct indexing continues to proliferate, wealth optimization firm NDVR unveiled an active personalized direct indexing strategy that high net worth investors can customize through their platform

Two bills currently in Congress could expand a deferred annuity known as the Qualified Longevity Annuity Contract (QLAC). Both the House and Senate are working on retirement savings legislation that would increase the allowable size of QLACs, making them more attractive to middle-income retirees. QLACs work like any fixed annuity. They pay a steady monthly income, but payments are deferred until the holder is at least 75 years of age. This means that you can buy a QLAC for a lower initial investment than immediate annuities. However, you can invest no more than $135,000 or 25% of your total retirement account balance over your lifetime. A Senate bill called the Enhancing American Retirement Now (EARN) Act, would raise the maximum investment to $200,000 and eliminate the 25 percent threshold, while a House bill, called the Securing a Strong Retirement Act, or SECURE 2.0, would repeal the 25 percent limit. The Senate bill has bipartisan support and the House bill passed last Spring. It appears Congress is looking to build a market for these products by raising the cap on maximum investments.

Finsum: Both houses of Congress are working on legislation that would increase the appeal of a deferred annuity called the Qualified Longevity Annuity Contract.

Wealth managers, unite!

Or some such thing.

A wider swath of them is jumping into alternative – and often less liquid, assets, according to investmentnews.com. The strategy’s come at the cost of traditional asset classes, from which they’ve retreated.

Investors in or approaching retirement are eyeing alternatives in light of the one two punch of a volatile stock market and steepling inflation.

Among wealth managers globally, inflation is their top headache, according to a recently released Mercer survey. In the upcoming two years, investment returns were expected to be lower than they’ve experienced in recent years among nearly half of the respondents.

“It is encouraging to see the majority of wealth managers embracing and investing in illiquid and other alternative asset classes, citing yield and return potential. With traditional asset classes unlikely to generate the same level of returns in the next few years as they did in the past, it is critical that wealth managers’ client portfolios are positioned to seize the widest range of investment opportunities,” Gregg Sommer, partner and US financial intermediaries leader at Mercer, said in a statement.

While the stock market’s works wonders when it comes to feeding the bottom line, among some investors, alternative investments could be an ideal fit the portfolio as well, according to fool.com.

Some of the most popular type to consider:

• Real estate
• Crowdfunding
• Peer-to-peer lending
• Commodities
• Hedge fund investing
• Cryptocurrency
• Art