Consumer Agency Would Oversee Advisors

Financial advisors would be overseen by the Obama Administration’s proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) legislation, which the Treasury Department sent to Congress June 30. Under the proposed legislation, financial advisors under the CFPA’s purview would include those who provide “financial and other related advisory services; educational courses and materials on financial matters; or credit counseling, tax-planning, or tax-preparation services.”

Dan Barry, director of government relations at the Financial Planning Association, says the FPA is currently reviewing the Administration’s CFPA proposal. The proposal does include a pretty clear exclusion for broker/dealers and investment advisors registered with the SEC, Barry says.