(New York)

Advisors need to be very mindful of an old regulation that is taking on new relevance in light of the fiduciary rule. While the DOL’s rule may not be fully enacted, one concept it adopted, which is based on precedent from the ERISA and IRS codes, could be a thorn in the side of advisors. That concept is “reasonable compensation limits”, and is of particular concern to high earning advisors as they will need to look hard at the services they provide and come up with justifications for their pricing. According to a top industry lawyer, this rule will not be undone by a new SEC or DOL rule, so it is here to stay; “Even if the DOL, SEC or Finra roll back the fiduciary rule so that lots of advisor reps and insurance agents are no longer fiduciaries, the reasonable compensation limits would still apply”.

FINSUM: The argument is that this rule’s new relevance will lead to a clearing out of highly priced and highly paid advisors.