MFDF News Feed

November 6, 2025

Management Practice has conducted an annual survey of mutual fund Chief Compliance Officer compensation for the past 20 years. The webinar will provide survey results from the latest report focusing on aggregate compensation data MPI receives through confidential questionnaires from fund CCOs and other industry executives.

November 5, 2025

Mellody Hobson, president and CEO Ariel Investments, recently released an illustrated children’s book on money. The book traces the earliest origins of money to what we have today using accessible language that should resonate with grade schoolers and up. Hobson uses humor with the interactions of her two characters Mellody and John to deliver facts and wisdom to help young readers understand the value of money.

November 4, 2025

EY's Bill Hobbs and Phil Payad explore how AI is being integrated into third-party service providers, from fund administration to compliance, and what board members need to know to fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities. This program is part of MFDF’s AI webinar series.

November 3, 2025

The survey is thorough and asks for relatively detailed information about the board structure and directors’ experiences. As such, Chairs of Nominating/Governance Committees may be best equipped to complete the survey on behalf of their boards. Only one entry is needed for each board.

October 30, 2025

In her book, Linda Davis Taylor lays out how families can imprint a mindset of prudent money management for generations by careful planning, cultivating values, and recruiting all family members to participate – strategies not dissimilar from sound governance principles.

October 29, 2025

The fiscal year, ending on September 30, saw 90+ enforcement actions targeting rule enforcement, conflicts of interest, misrepresentations and inadequate disclosures, artificial intelligence, miscellaneous compliance failures, and other related areas. According to Sidley, “These numbers were substantially down from the prior fiscal year, where the SEC brought over 130 actions against investment advisers and their representatives.”

October 28, 2025

In October, Representative Troy Downing (R-MT) introduced the “Retirement Investment Choice Act” (H.R. 5748) which would codify President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order 14330 by directing the Department of Labor and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to reduce regulatory barriers prohibiting investments like private equity, real estate, and digital assets from being eligible for inclusion in 401(k) retirement plans.

October 27, 2025

While networking and referrals are a key aspect of many boards’ recruitment strategies, some directors approach networking as a way to develop board skills, access advice and resource referrals, and encounter board- or fund-related expertise that is valuable in their own boardrooms. Skill in making and developing new connections also nods toward a person’s intellectual curiosity, an attribute that many boards see as crucial for directors to exemplify.

October 23, 2025

The no-action letter allows qualifying STCs to act as ‘banks’ under the custody rules of the 1940 Act and the Investment Advisers Act, and outlines a number of conditions that eligible STCs must meet, including a best interest determination, appropriate authorization, implementation of certain policies and procedures, adoption of certain custodial services agreement provisions, and disclosure requirements.

October 22, 2025

During this hands-on simulation, participants will be challenged with an emerging cyber incident and will work together to reach critical decisions regarding communication procedures, lines of authority and escalation protocols and regulatory reporting.

October 21, 2025

At the federal-level, the US Department of Labor (DOL) formally committed to replacing the Biden-era rule allowing ERISA-regulated retirement plans to consider ESG factors. According to the DOL’s regulatory agenda, the new rule is expected to be finalized by May 2026.

October 20, 2025

The program will highlight ACA and NSCP’s second annual AI Benchmarking Survey results. This year’s findings highlight how compliance teams are leveraging AI to manage risk, drive efficiency, and prepare for regulatory change.

October 16, 2025

During the program, Vanessa Richardson and Jay Spinola, partners at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP will review the latest litigation updates in the closed-end fund space and how these cases may impact independent fund directors.

October 15, 2025

The panelists discuss how the SEC has extended implementation timelines, abandonment of litigation, and the withdrawal of certain rulemaking proposals- and how this demonstrates where the Commission will focus its time. The podcast also discusses recent staff changes including the new head of the Division of Enforcement and the Division of Investment Management.

October 14, 2025

The program will highlight the importance of product marketing, understanding the “Client Investing Journey,” identifying metrics to measure success, working within compliance and regulatory requirements, and how board oversight of distribution intersects with overall marketing strategy.

October 13, 2025

The report, which includes a series of recommendations to the Commission, highlights investor protection challenges in expanding retail access to private markets but notes “the optimal way for retail investors to access private market assets is through registered funds, which allow retail investors to invest in broadly diversified funds that contain private market assets, often alongside public market assets.”

October 8, 2025

According to Broadridge, “it is likely that investors will experience a one‑time capital gains impact in the year the ETF share class launches.” It will be crucial for boards and management to determine whether this event would still meet the threshold for being in the best interest of each class for shareholders.

October 7, 2025

This webinar will discuss directors' crucial oversight role on understanding the operational risks of the adviser versus stepping in to management roles.

October 6, 2025

On September 29, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) signaled through a notice of application its intent to green light approval of dual-share class offerings under the Investment Company Act of 1940. This notice comes after the third amended application by Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) on September 26, which added a discussion of declaring dividend payments and barring secondary market transactions in the mutual fund share class.

October 2, 2025

This week, MFDF announced the addition of three new members to its own board: Fran Cashman, Jody Foster, and Julian Sluyters. MFDF President Carolyn McPhillips stated, “[t]heir experience and insights will be invaluable for myself and the MFDF staff as we continue our work in helping independent directors navigate today’s shifting regulatory environment while they maintain their focus on stewarding the investments of millions of shareholders.”