The Securities and Exchange Commission has posted a request for candidates interested in serving on the SEC’s Investor Advisory Committee (IAC).
The IAC was the creation of the Dodd-Frank Act and aims to support individual investors by providing guidance to the Commission. In the posting, the SEC explains the mission as focusing on:
- Regulatory priorities of the Commission;
- Issues relating to the regulation of securities products, trading strategies, fee structures, and the effectiveness of disclosure;
- Initiatives to protect investor interests; and
- Initiatives to promote investor confidence and the integrity of the securities marketplace.
SEC Acting Chairman Mark T. Uyeda said they are looking forward to receiving information on interested individuals.
“Obtaining a variety of investor views helps the SEC to fulfill our mission on behalf of American issuers and investors.”
While the IAC seeks to advocate on behalf of investors, in recent years, it has leaned heavily on investor protection without recognizing the need to enable greater access to opportunity.
The IAC’s most recent recommendations were on Finluencers and Financial Literacy. The Committee provided fairly obvious recommendations.
What the IAC has failed to tackle is the need to improve opportunities for smaller investors, such as fixing the current exclusionary definition of an Accredited Investor or greater access to the Private Securities markets.
In the end, as the recommendations hold no mandate for the Commission to change rules, the feedback ends up becoming a reference point for policymakers depending on their political leanings.
The deadline for submission of a letter of interest is March 15, 2025. Those who have previously applied for membership on the committee must re-apply to be considered at this time.