Investor and Industry Perspectives on Investment Advisers and Broker-Dealers

229 Pages·2008·1.59 MB·English

by  Angela A. Hung

Investor and Industry
Perspectives on
Investment Advisers
and Broker-Dealers
Angela A. Hung, Noreen Clancy, Jeff Dominitz,
Eric Talley, Claude Berrebi, Farrukh Suvankulov
Sponsored by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission
INSTITUTE FOR CIVIL JUSTICE
LRN-RAND Center for Corporate Ethics, Law, and Governance
The research described in this report was conducted by the LRN-RAND Center for
Corporate Ethics, Law, and Governance within the RAND Institute for Civil Justice and
commissioned by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Investor and industry perspectives on investment advisers and broker-dealers / Angela K. Hung ... [et al.].
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-8330-4403-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Securities—United States. 2. Securities industry—Law and legislation—United States. 3. Investment
advisors—Legal status, laws, etc.—United States. 4. Stockbrokers—Legal status, laws, etc.—United States.
I. Hung, Angela K.
KF1070.I58 2008
346.73'0922—dc22
2008002124
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis
and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors
around the world. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its
research clients and sponsors.
R
® is a registered trademark.
© Copyright 2008 RAND Corporation
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or
mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval)
without permission in writing from RAND.
Published 2008 by the RAND Corporation
1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138
1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202-5050
4570 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2665
RAND URL: http://www.rand.org/
To order RAND documents or to obtain additional information, contact
Distribution Services: Telephone: [phone];
Fax: [phone]; Email: [email protected]
Preface
In recent years, the evolution of the financial service industry has blurred traditional distinc-
tions between broker-dealers and investment advisers and made it difficult to design appro-
priate regulatory schemes for their professional services. To better understand the industry’s
dynamics and its effects on individual investors, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commis-
sion (SEC) commissioned RAND to conduct a study of broker-dealers and investment advis-
ers from two perspectives: first, examine investment advisers’ and broker-dealers’ practices in
marketing and providing financial products and services to individual investors; and second,
evaluate investors’ understanding of the differences between investment advisers’ and broker-
dealers’ financial products and services, duties, and obligations.
The research on which this document reports was conducted within the LRN-RAND
Center for Corporate Ethics, Law, and Governance within the RAND Institute for Civil
Justice.
The LRN-RAND Center for Corporate Ethics, Law, and Governance
The LRN-RAND Center for Corporate Ethics, Law, and Governance is committed to improv-
ing public understanding of corporate ethics, law, and governance and to identifying specific
ways in which businesses can operate ethically, legally, and profitably at the same time. The
center’s work is supported by voluntary contributions from private-sector organizations and
individuals with interests in research on these topics.
The center is part of the RAND Institute for Civil Justice (ICJ), which is dedicated to
improving decisionmaking on civil legal issues by supplying policymakers with the results of
objective, empirically based, analytic research. ICJ facilitates change in the civil justice system
by analyzing trends and outcomes, identifying and evaluating policy options, and bringing
together representatives of different interests to debate alternative solutions to policy prob-
lems. ICJ builds on a long tradition of RAND research characterized by an interdisciplinary,
empirical approach to public-policy issues and rigorous standards of quality, objectivity, and
independence.
ICJ research is supported by pooled grants from corporations, trade and professional
associations, and individuals; by government grants and contracts; and by private foundations.
ICJ disseminates its work widely to the legal, business, and research communities and to the
general public. In accordance with RAND policy, all ICJ research products are subject to peer
review before publication. ICJ publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of
the research sponsors or of the ICJ Board of Overseers.
iii
iv Investor and Industry Perspectives on Investment Advisers and Broker-Dealers
Robert Reville, Director Michael Greenberg, Research Director
RAND Institute for Civil Justice LRN-RAND Center for Corporate Ethics,
1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138 Law, and Governance
Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 4570 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600
310-393-0411 x6786 Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2665
Fax: [phone] x4648
Email: [email protected] Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Contents
Preface........................................................................................................... iii
Figures........................................................................................................... ix
Tables ............................................................................................................ xi
Executive Summary..........................................................................................xiii
Acknowledgments............................................................................................ xxi
Abbreviations................................................................................................ xxiii
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction..................................................................................................... 1
Background....................................................................................................... 2
Purpose of the Study............................................................................................. 2
Approach.......................................................................................................... 3
Organization of This Report.................................................................................... 4
CHAPTER TWO
Regulatory and Legal Background.......................................................................... 7
Regulation of Broker-Dealers................................................................................... 7
Registration Requirements.................................................................................... 8
Suitability....................................................................................................... 9
Reasonable Basis............................................................................................... 9
Prohibition of Excessive Markups............................................................................ 9
Prohibition of Excessive Trading Activities................................................................. 9
Supervision of Registered Representatives.................................................................10
Best Execution.................................................................................................10
Record-Keeping Requirements..............................................................................10
Broker-Dealers and Fiduciary Duties.......................................................................10
Regulation of Investment Advisers............................................................................12
Registration Requirements...................................................................................12
Fiduciary Duties ..............................................................................................13
Record-Keeping Requirements..............................................................................13
Other Requirements..........................................................................................14
The Dividing Line Between Investment Advisers and Broker-Dealers...................................14
Policy Response to Blurring of the Line......................................................................16
Stakeholder Concerns with Proposed Changes..............................................................17
Limited Investor Understanding............................................................................18
Trends Blurring the Distinction Between Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisers.................19
v
vi Investor and Industry Perspectives on Investment Advisers and Broker-Dealers
Questionable Value of Disclosures..........................................................................19
Assessment of the Current Regulatory Structure ........................................................ 20
Need for Greater Financial Literacy....................................................................... 20
Conclusion...................................................................................................... 20
CHAPTER THREE
View of the Industry from Published Sources........................................................... 23
Characteristics of Firms....................................................................................... 24
Structure of the Financial Service Industry............................................................... 24
Other Firms .................................................................................................. 24
Fee Structures Associated with Services................................................................... 24
Revenue Streams of Financial Service Firms..............................................................25
Marketing of Financial Service Firms..................................................................... 27
Disclosure Practices.......................................................................................... 28
Internal-Monitoring and Compliance Practices...........................................................29
Compensation Structures of Investment Professionals...................................................29
Investor Perceptions and Expectations of Financial Service Providers....................................31
Conclusion.......................................................................................................32
CHAPTER FOUR
Insights from Industry Data.................................................................................35
Overview of Firms in the Data: 2001–2006................................................................ 36
Investment Advisers............................................................................................ 38
Attributes of Investment Advisory Firms: Fourth Quarter of 2006................................... 38
Comparison of Investment Advisory Firms by Dual and Affiliated Activity Classification.........41
Broker-Dealers.................................................................................................. 50
Attributes of Broker-Dealers: Fourth Quarter of 2006.................................................. 50
Comparison of Brokerage Firms by Dual and Affiliated-Activity Classification..................... 54
Conclusions......................................................................................................59
CHAPTER FIVE
Documentation and Information Provided by Firms...................................................63
Document-Collection Methodology..........................................................................63
Document Collection and Review......................................................................... 64
Methodology for Firm Interviews.............................................................................67
Interview Approach...........................................................................................67
Results from Document Collection, Web Data Collection, and Firm Interviews................... 68
How Firms Interact with Clients........................................................................... 68
How Firms Provide Services and Affiliate with Other Firms............................................73
What Firms Disclose About Their Services and Affiliations with Others..............................75
Firms’ Perspectives on Policy Issues ........................................................................78
Broker-Dealers from the Volunteer Sample............................................................... 80
Illustrative Examples............................................................................................81
Investment Advisers in the Registered-Representative Classification...................................82
Broker-Dealers in the Affiliated-Activity Classification..................................................83
Conclusions..................................................................................................... 84
Contents vii
CHAPTER SIX
Investors’ Level of Understanding......................................................................... 87
Household Survey.............................................................................................. 87
Investment Experience...................................................................................... 88
Beliefs About the Differences Between Investment Advisers and Brokers.............................89
Characteristics of Respondents Who Use Financial Service Providers................................ 90
Job Titles and Firm Types of Financial Service Providers............................................... 90
Experiences with Financial Service Providers .............................................................93
Reasons Not to Use a Financial Service Provider....................................................... 103
Relative Inclination to Seek Services from Brokers or Investment Advisers......................... 104
Types of Assistance That Respondents Would Like with Financial Matters ........................ 104
Focus Groups.................................................................................................. 105
Methods...................................................................................................... 106
Investment Experience..................................................................................... 106
General Impressions of the Financial Service Industry................................................. 107
Investor Decisionmaking and Experience with Financial Service Professionals .................... 107
Perceived Differences Between Investment Advisers and Brokers..................................... 108
Differences Between the Experienced and Inexperienced Groups.................................... 112
Other Comments........................................................................................... 112
Conclusion..................................................................................................... 112
CHAPTER SEVEN
Conclusions................................................................................................... 115
What Are the Current Business Practices of Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisers?.............. 116
Do Investors Understand the Differences Between and Relationships Among Broker-Dealers and
Investment Advisers?..................................................................................... 117
APPENDIXES
A. Descriptions of Regulatory Filings, Data Sets, and Use of the Data to Identify Dual
and Affiliate Activity................................................................................... 119
B. Other Retail Providers of Financial Services...................................................... 127
C. Attributes of Investment Advisers and Broker-Dealers.......................................... 129
D. Additional Detail on Sampling Method of Document Collection............................ 153
E. Disclosures by Type and Information Source..................................................... 161
F. American Life Panel.................................................................................... 165
G. Detailed Results of Household Survey and Focus Groups...................................... 167
H. Supplemental Analysis of Industry Data from 2001 to 2006.................................. 185
References..................................................................................................... 199

Figures
S.1. Broker-Dealers, Investment Advisers, and Dually Registered Firms (2001–2006)........xv
4.1. Broker-Dealers, Investment Advisers, and Dually Registered Firms (2001–2006)........37
4.2. Total Assets Under Management in Discretionary Accounts, by Year and Firm
Type................................................................................................ 46
4.3. Total Assets Under Management in Nondiscretionary Accounts, by Year and Firm
Type.................................................................................................47
4.4. Mean of Total Assets, by Year and Firm Type .................................................55
4.5. Mean of Total Revenue, by Year and Firm Type.............................................. 56
4.6. Mean of Net Income Before Federal Taxes, by Year and Firm Type........................58
6.1. Types of Firms That Employ Individual Professionals ........................................93
6.2. Types of Firms Used That Are Not Associated with Individual Professionals............. 94
6.3. Methods of Payment to Individual Professionals for Financial Services....................95
6.4. Methods of Payment to Firms for Professional Services ..................................... 96
D.1. Sample Cover Letter Sent to Investment Advisory Firms for Business-Document
Collection......................................................................................... 155
D.2. Sample Checklist Enclosed in Investment Advisory Document-Request Letter......... 156
D.3. Sample Checklist Enclosed in Broker-Dealer Document-Request Letter................. 157
G.1. Types of Firms That Employ First Individual Professionals Reported .................... 175
G.2. Types of Firms Used That Are Not Associated with Individual Professionals (First-
Reported Firms Only)........................................................................... 176
H.1. Total Assets Under Management in Discretionary Accounts, by Year and 2001
Firm Type or Entry Year........................................................................ 190
H.2. Total Assets Under Management in Nondiscretionary Accounts, by Year and
2001 Firm Type or Entry Year................................................................. 191
H.3. Sum of Total Assets, by Year and Firm Type in 2001 or Entry Year...................... 194
H.4. Sum of Total Revenue, by Year and Firm Type in 2001 or Entry Year................... 195
H.5. Sum of Net Income Before Federal Taxes, by Year and Firm Type in 2001 or
Entry Year......................................................................................... 196
H.6. Sum of Reported Fees for Account Supervision, Investment Advisory, and
Administrative Services, by Year and Firm Type in 2001 or Entry Year.................. 197
ix