Better Late Than Never
Painful as it was, the financial crisis was actually beneficial in one key aspect: It created an opportunity for the financial services industry to clean up the excesses no one would address when times were good. Say what you want about Congress and regulators, but FINRA and the SEC have gotten many changes right. Their edicts with regard to CEO pay, broker disclosure of recruiting checks and out-of-whack incentives for Wall Street professionals will eventually benefit investors and advisors. That’s not to say all of the post-crisis legislation was beneficial. BASEL III is too restrictive. Dodd-Frank , a few exceptions not withstanding, has become a 14,000-page monstrosity. The Upside For Everyone After we stepped back from the financial abyss, the regulators were focused on preventing another meltdown of epic proportions. Since the consensus opinion was that Wall Street and Congress were equally responsible for the mess, there was much to doubt as they got started. ...