In a move that highlights its increasing emphasis on enforcement, the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. has hired its first director of investigations.

Rex Staples, former general counsel for the North American Securities Administrators Association Inc., has been tapped to fill the newly created position at the CFP Board. He will lead a team that pursues cases of alleged violations of the conduct standards that CFP[® professionals] must follow to maintain the designation.

The CFP Board grants CFP® certification and enforces the related ethical requirements for the approximately 63,000 U.S. investment advisers who hold the mark. Certified planners, for instance, must adhere to a fiduciary-duty standard when providing investment advice. Read more >

Investment News
Mark Schoeff Jr.
March 16, 2012