Presidential Campaign Season and the SEC’s Pay-to-Play Rule

With the recent Iowa Straw Poll, the presidential campaign season is getting into full gear. That also means that campaign fundraising is in full gear. I thought it would be useful to apply the SEC’s new Pay-to-play for Investment Advisors to the crop of presidential contenders. Under SEC Rule 206(4)-5, investment advisors are limited in … Read more »

Controls on Political Contributions

In the face of some pay-to-play scandals involving investment advisers and government sponsored investment fund officials, the Securities and Exchange Commission slapped restrictions on the ability of investment advisers and fund managers to make political contributions. Rule 206(4)-5 prohibits an investment manager or fund manager from collecting fees for two years if the firm or … Read more »

SEC Answers Questions About the Pay to Play Rule

The staff of the Division of Investment Management at the Securities and Exchange Commission has prepared responses to some questions about Rule 206(4)-5 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Here are a few that caught my eye: Question II.6. Covered Associates’ Family Members. Q: Are contributions by an advisory employee’s family members covered under … Read more »

Pay to Play Rules for Placement Agents

The SEC imposed strict limitations on the ability of investment advisers to make political contributions when their clients include government bodies when it issued Rule 206(4)-5. They don’t want government investment decisions decided campaign contributions. This limitation also applies to private investment funds under the language of the rule and the changes to the Investment … Read more »