SEC Commissioner Luis Aguilar States Unequivocal 'Support of Extending a Fiduciary Duty to Broker-Dealers'

Aguilar has been consistently strong in his support of “extending the fiduciary standard,” as well as a self-funded SEC. As has been discussed during this go-round of legislation, SEC receives a Congressional appropriation each year from the revenues the Commission generates from fees. Over the last several years, about one-third of those fees raised went to other federal uses, not to the Commission. It’s reasonable to think that a better-funded SEC can do more of what it needs to do to protect investors.

In the statement, Aguilar explained his position further: “Congress passed the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to protect America’s investors from advice-giving intermediaries who have incentives to conceal conflicts and sell investors products that, while suitable, may not be in their best interests. Broker-dealers who provide advisory services to investors should be held to the same fiduciary standard as investment advisers. The fiduciary standard will require them to act in their clients’ best interests.”

Read the full text of Luis Aguilar’s May 11th speech.