SEC Marketing Rule Examination Sweep Continues
On September 11th a Press Release from the SEC announced charges against nine Advisors for hypothetical performance advertising violations as part of the SEC’s initial sweep into Marketing Rule Violations. These charges related to promoting hypothetical performance on the Advisor’s websites to the general public without adopting and/or implementing policies and procedures as required by the rule. Additionally, two firms were found to have failed to retain appropriate copies of the advertisements within the Firm’s books and records. All nine firms agreed to settle, were censured, and must pay $850,000 in combined damages. Gurbir Grewal, the SEC’s Director of the Division of Enforcement, emphasized the Commission’s view that hypothetical performance advertising poses an elevated risk to prospective investors, and the importance of firms adopting policies and procedures under the new rule to mitigate this risk. He also made it clear that until the Commission is satisfied that that is the case, they will continue their ongoing sweep to ensure investment advisor’s compliance with the Marketing Rule. AdvisorAssist reminds Advisors that the Marketing Rule is applicable to SEC-registered firms and certain State-registered firms who have adopted it. Under the rule, an Advisor is permitted to include hypothetical performance in an advertisement, provided that the Advisor:
- Adopts policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the hypothetical performance is relevant to the likely financial situation and investment objectives of the intended audience of the advertisement
- Provides sufficient information to enable the intended audience to understand the criteria used and assumptions made in calculating the hypothetical performance
- Provides sufficient information to enable the audience to understand the risks and limitations of using hypothetical performance to make investment decisions.
- Important Note: Hypothetical performance should only be distributed to clients and/or prospective clients who have access to the resources to independently analyze such information and who have the financial expertise to understand the risks and limitations of such types of presentations.
- Maintain the relevant data and documentation that supports the hypothetical performance figures presented.