New Group Forms to Fight DOL Rule

The tax-friendly treatment of health savings accounts makes them an attractive retirement investment vehicle, and subject to the Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule.

It seems everyone working in the financial advisory space has an opinion on the Department of Labor fiduciary rules. A recent survey collected them, and we reprint the best of the best here.

Fixed annuity sales are up and variable sales down. But while some numbers might look bad, overall annuity sales will remain strong despite regulation and other outside pressures, analysts predict.

Broker-dealers are expected to continue trending toward fee-based products and passive investment strategies, a new survey finds. The fiduciary rule is giving BDs a further impetus for the shift, one analyst says.

The delay of the Department of Labor fiduciary rule means we could see a fixed indexed annuity sale frenzy during the last half of the year. Experts say the time is right for FIAs to fly off the shelves.

The Department of Labor will get its 18-month delay of phase two of the Obama-era fiduciary rule. A proposed rule ordering the delay until July 1, 2019 will be published in the Federal Register tomorrow.

The development of a new fee-based indexed annuity offers a glimpse into the dialogue that unfolded between product manufacturer and distributors in the independent channel. Both sides gave a little to make the product successful.

The Office of Management and Budget completed its review Monday of a rule that would delay the DOL fiduciary rule. The DOL seeks an 18-month delay that would push the effective date of the fiduciary rule to July 1, 2019.

In a court brief, the Department of Labor signaled its intent to eliminate the class-action component of the fiduciary rule. The right to sue is one of the most hated aspects of the Obama-era regulation.

If approved, documents sent to the Office of Management and Budget today would delay phase two of the Department of Labor fiduciary rule by 18 months to July 1, 2019.

The first phase of the Department of Labor fiduciary rule went into effect June 9. Industry firms are reporting substantial impacts so far, with IRI members having dropped 155,000 clients to date.

A new guidance from the Department of Labor address some key sticking points for advisors acting as non-fiduciaries to defined contribution plans. For the most part, the department adopts a lenient stance toward compliance with fiduciary mandates.

Department of Labor fiduciary rule opponents find a friendly court during a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals hearing Monday. Judges sympathize with industry claims of overreach by the government in crafting the financial services regulation.

Opponents of the controversial Department of Labor fiduciary rule will take another shot Monday at persuading a court to overturn the regulation. This time, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear the case.

Top Department of Labor official joins the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to discuss collaboration on the future of the fiduciary rule. Better data from the insurance industry is needed, DOL deputy secretary says.

The Department of Labor could delay phase two of its controversial fiduciary rule by two years, analysts say. Phase two is slated to take effect Jan. 1, 2018, but could be delayed by one year, with financial services getting a year beyond that to comply.

The Department of Labor fiduciary rule’s harshest mandates will for sure be delayed beyond the Jan. 1, 2018 effective date, a panel of experts agreed today. Whether those mandates are softened or not remains to be seen.

Little disruption to clients reported by advisors as they transition to the full Department of Labor fiduciary rules, a new survey finds. Though more changes are expected if the rule is implemented as written on Jan. 1, for now the rules appear marginally disruptive.

A new bill by Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo., draws mixed reviews at a House subcommittee hearing today. The bill would scrap the Department of Labor fiduciary rule in favor of a more industry friendly standard.

President Donald J. Trump has vowed to ease or get rid of regulations across the business world. So why are government agencies ramping up investigations of registered investment advisors?

New annuity research tool by Beacon Annuity Solutions will help advisors demonstrate that their recommendations are in the best interest of clients, a company executive says.

As part of its review of the Obama administration’s fiduciary rule, Department of Labor regulators are expected to consider returning fixed indexed annuities to a less-stringent exemption.

The Department of Labor is prepared to help advisors survive under the new fiduciary rules by possibly carving out new exemptions and amending existing ones, according to documents published Thursday. Is it the lifeline the industry seeks?

Any thoughts that new Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta would decline to defend the controversial fiduciary rule went out the window with a brief filed Monday in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Department of Labor announced two new comment periods Friday — 15 and 30 days — on different aspect of its controversial fiduciary rule. Will the rule go fully into effect?

The SEC is hinting at taking up fiduciary rulemaking. New Chairman Jay Clayton kicked off the process June 1 by soliciting public comment. Investors and advisors responded with concerns.

The Department of Labor fiduciary rule has not had a major impact on annuity sales yet, say execs with a top Midwest insurer. The second phase of the rule, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2018, will likely be a different story, they add.