At the SEC Speaks conference held March 19–20, 2026, SEC leadership outlined evolving priorities for rulemaking and enforcement. A central theme was a return to traditional financial materiality, with Commissioners emphasizing that disclosures should focus on information that meaningfully impacts investor decision-making, rather than broader policy-driven topics .
Chair Paul Atkins also introduced the SEC’s ACT framework, which is intended to modernize rules, clarify regulatory boundaries, and streamline existing requirements.
For RIAs, this signals a more disciplined regulatory environment with a sharper focus on financial integrity and investor harm. While there may be less emphasis on purely technical violations, firms should not view this as reduced risk. Where investor harm is identified, the SEC is likely to pursue cases aggressively.
To help you make sense of what this means for you and your clients, read the full article from our friends at SEC3 here.