Built To Scale with CRC-Oyster

Join Oyster Consulting's Jeffrey Hiller in his new podcast mini-series, CCO - Behind the Scenes, as he shares his vast experience as both a CCO for several global investment firms and Senior Counsel for the SEC's Division of Enforcement. Jeffrey literally helped write the book on modern regulatory compliance. Being CCO is more than just checking boxes. There are office politics to naviga...

Oyster industry leaders discuss what firm executives and decision makers should be focusing on in today's volatile and changing business environment.  Topics include:   improving your bottom line  updating and improving your planning services to meet client needs, risk levels and employment challenges managing your cybersecurity and third party vendors in a pandemic world vendor support  cont...

The pandemic has changed how firms operate, and regulators have had to change their examination practices to accommodate remote offices and staff.  In this episode, Oyster Managing Director Ed Wegener, who was a former SVP and Midwest Regional Director of FINRA, shares his insider views on: the changes in the regulator's examination program the kind of the people that are doing examinations w...

For financial services firms registered with regulatory bodies, regulatory exams have instilled the gamut of emotions from annoyance to anxiety, to outright fear. Fortunately, much of this could be mitigated with a better understanding of the exam process, the necessity for robust risk assessments, and by nurturing the firm's relationship with it's regulatory contact.  This week's e...

As advisors build out their financial planning business, they gather a lot of data and over the years, the strategy of the firm can change. That may mean it's a good time to change from a software application that's more cash flow to one that's more goal-oriented, or vice versa.  As a follow-up to last week's high-level overview of the software selection process, Bill Davis off...

Firms are always looking for ways to improve their bottom line, and updating or upgrading their software is one of them. But where to begin? How do you know if it will work for your firm? What will the implementation look like? What about hidden costs?  In this week's episode Polly Cordle, Managing Director of Oyster Solutions Software, offers some tips and tricks on what to look for when you...

Trying to resolve issues and improve operational efficiency by aligning people and technology can lead to unexpected problems and mixed results. Whether your firm leadership wants to evaluate how the firm is running, the firm has recently undergone a merger or acquisition or is experiencing errors, losses or attrition, an Operational Assessment can increase efficiency, save your firm time and even...

Regulators expect both offsite and onsite monitoring of offices and employees due to the heightened risk inherent in remote arrangements. The work-at-home orders issued by the States in response to the pandemic have created supervision challenges for firms.  While some consider the present state the “new normal,” no one really knows how and when this will all progress. In this week's podcast,...

When markets are volatile, history has shown us that there is often an increase in securities litigation,  In this episode, Oyster experts   talk about past litigation trends in volatile markets and what they see coming as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the national economy and individual investments. You can learn more from our May 13, 2020 blog "Increases Expected in Pandemic-Rela...

As firms begin to adjust to the "new normal," which for many means staff and clients working remotely for an indefinite amount of time, it's important to not lose sight of all the moving parts. Compliance is one of those, and now is a good time to look at your program and test it against how your firm is functioning in this new environment. Do your policies and procedures match up w...

The Consolidated Audit trail (CAT) is moving forward and the SEC has released new exemptive relief dates for parts 2a (Equity reporting) and 2b (Options reporting).  The SEC has also provided exemptive relief for introducing brokers. In this episode, Oyster experts discuss what firms should be doing around certifications, linkages, testing validation and the upcoming options reporting deadlines. ...

As more and more people are turning to Investment Advisors and Financial Planners for help managing their money, advisors and planners are looking for ways to better serve their new and existing clients and continue to grow their business.  Oyster Director Bill Davis explains how Oyster's new Advisory Planning Services help Advisors and Financial Planners improve their efficiency, assess, sel...

In this episode Oyster CEO Buddy Doyle and Managing Director Polly Cordle discuss best practices for conducting broker-dealer and investment advisor annual reviews. Topics include testing your compliance program, including reviewing your compliance calendar to maximize the use of your time and resources, new products, system implementations and taking into account what's different in today&ap...

Oyster Consulting CFO Robert Hall and Consultants Jeff Harpel and Clark Tucker discuss FINRA's Exam Priorities from a FINOP perspective, and what the impacts COVID 19 could have on FINOP procedures and Business Continuity Plans . For more information about how Oyster can help your firm with FINOP support or Business Continuity Planning, complete this form and one of our Relationship Mangers w...

In this episode, Oyster Consultant Ralph Magee and Devyze CEO Jeff Call discuss what the Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) is and its purpose, what is happening in the industry from a reporting standpoint, where we are with the CAT today and what firms should be doing.    Oyster can help you assess how your firm is positioned for CAT readiness, manage your requirements assessment and implementation p...

This week's episode features Oyster CEO Buddy Doyle and Polly Cordle, Managing Director of Oyster Solutions Software, discussing the importance of risk assessments , especially in today's volatile financial situation.  Included are best practices for creating and maintaining risk assessments, regulatory reporting around risk, and how Oyster Solutions Software makes maintaining and report...

Transitioning your platform can be a vital component of making sure your firm is successful for many years to come. Managing your firm’s platform transition is a significant undertaking that will impact most areas of your business. Investing in a third party to make sure the disruptions are minimized while the planning, execution, testing and change management are being done concurrently can be a...

 In light of the evolving progression of the COVID-19 virus, today's podcast discusses what firms should be considering when it comes to their Business Continuity Plan .  Are you ready to provide the critical services to your clients if you must close your business during a quarantine?  What if 20% of your employees can telecommute, but are sick? There are no boiler plate approaches to busine...

The analysis to decide if it’s best to invest in your current platform or consider a different path should not be ignored or pushed too far into the future. One of the most meaningful relationships any introducing broker-dealer has is with its clearing provider. In this week's episode, Managing Director Pete McAteer discusses what you should do after you've identified any gaps in your cl...

Are you getting the most out of your clearing partner? Are your costs where they should be? Are you looking to improve your service, technology and financial position? One of the most meaningful relationships any introducing broker-dealer has is with its clearing provider. In this week's episode, Managing Director Pete McAteer discusses when and why you should be evaluating your clearing plat...

In case you're wondering what the regulators will be focusing on this year, they are kind enough to let you know when they publish their annual Exam Priorities Letters. This episode is Part 3 in a series discussing the SEC and FINRA 2020 Exam Priorities Letters.  Oyster Consulting CEO Buddy Doyle, Director Evan Rosser and Senior Consultant Joe Turner talk about what's new, particularly a...

In case you're wondering what the regulators will be focusing on this year, they are kind enough to let you know when they publish their annual Exam Priorities Letters. This episode is Part 2 in a series discussing the SEC and FINRA 2020 Exam Priorities Letters.  Oyster Consulting CEO Buddy Doyle , Director Evan Rosser and Senior Consultant Joe Turner talk about Market Access and Best Executi...

In case you're wondering what the regulators will be focusing on this year, they are kind enough to let you know when they publish their annual Exam Priorities Letters. This episode is Part 1 in a series discussing the SEC and FINRA 2020 Exam Priorities Letters.  Oyster Consulting CEO Buddy Doyle, Director Evan Rosser and Senior Consultant Joe Turner talk about what's new, particularly a...

As you complete your Form ADV, completing the Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) Form CRS should also be on your list of things to do.  In this week's episode, Oyster experts   discuss what's required and how Oyster Solutions is helping our clients make the task of completing Form CRS easier.    CRC-Oyster: Compliance Risk Concepts / Oyster Consulting

NIST published in January 2020 its Privacy Framework, "a voluntary tool developed in collaboration with stakeholders intended to help organizations identify and manage privacy risk to build innovative products and services while protecting individuals’ privacy."  In this podcast episode, Oyster Consultant Tim Buckler explains what the Privacy Framework is, why you should implement it, an...