Topic Index

Accounting and Audit

Investment company accounting and financial topics and issues, including: board oversight of fund auditors, fund financial matters, and audit committee resources.

Trigger Advisory Contracts

Board oversight of advisers and subadvisers, including approval of advisory contracts, analysis of fund fees and performance, and fund fee litigation.

Fee Litigation

Opinions, filings, and analysis of litigation related to fund fees, and director oversight of fund advisory relationships.

Sub-Advisors

Guidance and materials on board oversight of sub-advisory relationships.

Trigger Disclosure

Investment company disclosure guidance, issues, rules, and regulations.

Prospectus and SAI

Rules and guidance on investment company registration statements and disclosures.

Proxy Disclosure

Rules and guidance for investment company proxy statement disclosures.

Trigger Distribution

Board oversight of fund distribution, including Rule 12b-1 fees.

Rule 12b-1

Guidance and materials for directors on Rule 12b-1 fees and plans.

Trigger Governance

Fund governance guidance and matters, including board leadership, composition, assessment, and oversight responsibilities.

Board Leadership

Management and composition of a fund board, including resources for independent chairs and lead independent directors

Closed-end Funds

Guidance and resources for closed-end registered investment companies.

Compensation

Director and trustee compensation resources and issues.

Compliance

Director oversight of the compliance function, including resources for chief compliance officers.

D&O Insurance

Director and officer insurance resources, including fidelity bonds, and director liability.

Mergers

Mergers and consolidations of funds and advisers.

Self-Evaluation

Guidance and resources on board self-evaluation and director qualifications and continuing education.

Money Market Funds

Board oversight of money market funds, including rules and regulations, money market fund developments, guidance, and emerging issues.

Trigger Portfolio Oversight

Guidance for boards in overseeing their funds' portfolios, including best execution, custody, ETFs, fixed income issues, proxy voting, soft dollars, and valuation issues.

Best Execution

Board responsibilities and duties regarding best execution of portfolio trades.

Complex Securities

Derivatives, synthetic positions, and structured investment products.

Custody

Board responsibilities and duties for oversight of custodial arrangements.

ETFs

Resources and materials relating to Exchange Traded Funds.

Fixed Income Funds

Resources and issues related to fixed income portfolios.

Proxy Voting

Resources and guidance for voting proxies of porfolio securities.

Securities Lending

Guidance for directors on oversight of fund securities lending programs.

Soft Dollars

Director oversight of soft dollar arrangements.

Valuation

Board duties and responsibilities for oversight of valuation policies and procedures.

Trigger Reference

Financial reference materials for fund boards, including relevant legislation, rules, regulations, and interpretations.

Financial Market Legislation

Legislation and alternatives for regulation of the financial markets.

Glossaries of Fund Industry Terms

Links to definitions of fund industry terms, jargon, and acronyms.

Newer Directors

Resources for directors in their first two years of service on a board.

Securities Law and Regulations

Statutes, regulations, and interpretive guidance governing the US securities markets and its participants.

Risk

Risk governance guidance and materials for fund boards.

Webinars

Archives of the Forum's webinar series, Issues and Insights on Your Schedule.

Director Resources

The Directors' Resource Center is a library of links grouped by topic. It is designed to provide members with quick and easy access to regulatory pronouncements, guidance, opinions, analysis, and other resources. The content of the Resource Center is focused on the needs of fund independent directors and is driven by suggestions and requests from the Forum's members.

Through special arrangement, Forum members have access to NICSA member benefits. To learn more, click here.

To view an instructional video on how to navigate this section of the Forum's website, please click on the following link.

Recent Additions

Fidelity Report on Investor Understanding of MMF

In a letter dated April 26, 2012, Fidelity Investments provided the SEC with research showing the level of understanding of the risks of money market funds by retail mutual fund investors. read more

Under Secretary at Treasury on MMF Reform

In remarks on April 18, 2012, Mary Miller, the Under Secretary for Domestic Finance at the Treasury Department, strongly advocated for additional regulations over money market funds. read more

Risk in Review

In March 2012, PwC published survey results in a report entitled "Risk in review: Rethinking risk management for new market realities." read more

Boston Fed on Money Market Reforms

Eric Rosengren, the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, has outlined his concerns about the credit risk in prime money market funds as they are currently regulated as well as their potential… read more

Bernanke Advocates Money Fund Reform

In a speech given on April 9, 2012, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke Bernanke highlighted his belief that further reforms to money market funds are necessary. read more

More Recent Additions

Forum Publications

Forum’s Newer Director Guide (2011)

Drafted in partnership with Stradley Ronon LLP, this publication is an introductory guide designed for directors in their first years of service on a fund board. read more

Webinar Archive: Fund Director Compensation: The MPI Annual Survey

Management Practice has conducted an annual survey of fund director and trustee compensation for nearly 20 years. Each spring, MPI releases its "Survey of Mutual Fund Director/Trustee Compensation and Governance Practices," which provides aggregate… read more