Blog - Page 2 of 7

SEC Risk Alert Gives Advice to Private Fund Advisers

July 3, 2020 by Mac Bartine Leave a Comment

On June 23, 2020, the SEC published a Risk Alert, which summarized compliance issues discovered during hundreds of examinations of investment advisers that manage private equity funds or hedge funds. Examiners from the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) made a number of observations that can help private fund advisers to revise and improve their policies and procedures. Advisers can also use OCIE’s findings to avoid committing similar mistakes at their own firms. The Risk Alert is a

7 Easy Steps to RIAs Working Remotely Without Cybersecurity Risk

April 14, 2020 by Mac Bartine Leave a Comment

When we’re all still stuck at home due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the last thing we need to add to our anxiety is a hacker sneaking off with clients’ data – along with those clients’ confidence in their advisors and wealth management firms of choice. Cybersecurity experts have been able to hack into RIA networks using a variety of common workplace mistakes that are even more likely to be committed when we’re working at home. The good news is

Coronavirus Update

March 17, 2020 by Mac Bartine 1 Comment

Hello, friends. I hope this coronavirus update from SmartRIA finds you healthy and safe at home. I’m writing to let you know a few things about how SmartRIA is handling coronavirus, how our situation might affect our customers, and in general, to share our thoughts at this difficult moment for everyone. First: as of last week, the SmartRIA team is working from home to do our own small part to help stop the spread of coronavirus. We’re still on the

How A Culture Of Compliance Can Help Your Firm

February 28, 2020 by Mac Bartine Leave a Comment

As a financial advisor, you know that maintaining federal regulations and client expectations are paramount to the success of your firm. But did you know that creating a culture of compliance is one of the best ways to truly uphold those standards and expectations? It is! Compliance isn’t a one-time, singular occurrence for any firm, it’s a constant series of choices and actions that you and every member of your team are responsible for each day. As a rule, every

The Complete Guide to RIA Compliance

February 13, 2020 by Mac Bartine Leave a Comment

As a registered investment advisor, whether new or well-established, you probably hear the word “compliance” on a daily basis. But what’s the best way to maintain compliance, why should you even bother with it (okay, yes you probably already know that one), and where did it originate? These are all great questions, and lucky for you, we’ve got all the answers ready for you in SmartRIA’s Complete Guide to RIA Compliance. Just sit back, grab a snack if you want,

SmartRIA’s 2019 Growth Expands Comprehensive RIA Compliance Platform for 2020 and Beyond

January 31, 2020 by Mac Bartine Leave a Comment

As the most complete and comprehensive RIA compliance platform on the market, SmartRIA consistently aims to expand and adapt to meet user needs before they are even an issue. That’s exactly what our company focused on in 2019 — and with our record revenue growth, this strategy will continue to allow us to be your most powerful compliance partner. Over 2019, we more than doubled in size, acquired two other compliance platforms, built and launched major additions to our own

Cybersecurity & You: The Care and Keeping of your Cyber Compliance

October 29, 2019 by Mac Bartine Leave a Comment

Physical robberies of financial institutions are becoming less common, but cyber attacks are only getting more common. Today, everyone understands that protecting your clients and company is paramount to staying in any financial services game. However, most decision makers of financial institutions don’t know where to start. Fortunately, the SEC has given some guidelines on how to begin managing cybersecurity compliance risks according to their standards: Know what employees have access to and limit access where you can. Loss prevention

SmartRIA Acquires Greytwist Data Governance Solution

September 9, 2019 by Mac Bartine Leave a Comment

The data governance platform will be integrated into SmartRIA’s compliance management solution platform to better support customers’ needs. Knoxville, TN, Sept. 9, 2019: SmartRIA and Greytwist have announced today the acquisition by SmartRIA of Greytwist Data Governance, a solution for vendor due diligence and management, personally identifiable information (PII) data governance and cybersecurity policy and procedures management and oversight. The asset sale includes the Greytwist Data Governance software platform, which will be integrated into the SmartRIA Compliance Management Platform.

RIA Compliance 101

May 14, 2019 by Mac Bartine

Being a registered investment advisor isn’t easy. You may have chosen this profession because you have great business and investment sense, a drive to help others manage their wealth, and a desire to build a solid financial foundation of your own. But working in this industry also requires strict adherence to a slew of complex and exacting guidelines. And without understanding RIA Compliance 101, following those guidelines is more than challenging.

How to Hire a CCO to Manage RIA Compliance

SEC Issues Risk Alert Dealing with Regulation S-P Privacy Notices & Safeguard Policies

April 26, 2019 by Ara Jabrayan Leave a Comment

On April 16, 2019, the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) published a Risk Alert dealing with Regulation S-P, which is the Commission’s primary rule governing privacy notices and the safeguarding policies of Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs), as well as broker-dealers. The Risk Alert guidance is derived from recent examinations of RIAs and broker-dealers and is designed to help them develop compliant privacy and opt-out notices to clients who are individuals (“customers”). The Risk Alert will also