regulation

Best of Q4 Blogs – A Few More

Posted by Mike McLaughlin on Dec 30, 2010, in Best Blogs of the Week , tagged with , , ,

Last week Anu revisited a few of his favorite posts from our blog over the last three months.  He promised I’d do the same, so here we go with three of my favorites so far:

  1. Spend More Time with the Best Wholesalers:  Most Sales teams we work with know their stuff, so the best way to get better is to consider new approaches for the same old activities.  Our thought on the pastime of coaching wholesalers fits the bill.

  2. Regulation is a People Business:  I tend to think that simple ideas are best.  They’re easier to come up with, easier to understand, and can have a big impact.  The insight from Anu regarding regulation is a forehead-slapper for me.

  3. Pitch Book Length:  With every blog post I write I ask myself “how can I make this more concise?”  Attention spans are shorter than even the most realistic person believes.  Pitch books included.

We’ll revisit the “Best Of” our blog at the end of Q1 next year.  After all, good/interesting ideas (at least in our minds) shouldn’t be lost just because they’re more than a week old. Gawker reminded me of that just a few weeks ago.

Happy New Year!

Regulation (like everything else): It’s a people business

Posted by Anu Heda on Dec 09, 2010, in Thoughts , tagged with ,

Last week, I attended a breakfast discussion with Barbara Novick (of BlackRock) on regulatory changes coming online in the US & Europe.  Ms. Novick presented an overview that was both engaging and humorous.

Midway through the presentation, she shared a slide with names & pictures of key regulators and legislators involved with financial regulatory changes.  She said something that rocked my world, in its simplicity.

“Regulation – like everything else – is a people business.  People on this slide come and go.  With those changes come varying  work styles, appetites for academic rigor, and favors being called in.”

In my head, I imagined regulation development to be absent personality, self-interests, or varying levels of rigor.  (I loved being unveiled to my self-imposed blind spot.)

As she brought color to the regulation process, she noted the dearth of asset managers actively participating in Washington.  While many are ICI members, she said few directly participate in a process where the rule makers welcome their input and feedback.  I’m not a public policy expert, regulation expert, or legislation guru.  Still, I thought that’s a mistake.  If nothing else, participating in the formation of once-in-a-generation regulation enables you to tell the story that “we were there to help form a safer, more trusted future” to your clients.

For many advisors, institutions, and end investors, that will matter tremendously.