Compliance officers have long been recognized for their steadfast commitment to maintaining regulatory compliance. But they also possess a unique attribute that sets them apart—agility. Their ability to adapt, collaborate, and think outside the box are valuable for making informed regulatory interpretations and decisions. By embracing a flexible mindset and fostering collaboration within the compliance community, they uncover innovative approaches to achieving the ultimate goal: providing the most cost-effective compliance solutions.

In this episode, Mac talks with Scott Gill, Founder and Senior Consultant of Synergy RIA Compliance Solutions. Scott is an experienced compliance consultant with a strong background in both RIA and broker-dealer compliance. He began his financial services career in 2006 as a Registered Representative with E*Trade Financial. Scott previously held the title of Compliance Officer at Carolinas Investment Consulting, a dually registered RIA and broker-dealer firm, managing approximately $1 Billion in assets under management. 

With a mission to deliver cost-effective compliance solutions for registered investment advisors, Scott talks about how creativity can help businesses adapt to changing conditions, what's new in the compliance world, and what Synergy RIA Compliance's recent comment letter to the SEC is all about.

Key Takeaways

• [00:59 ] - Scott's journey into regulatory compliance.


• [03:37 ] - How creativity applies to Scott's professional life.


• [06:34 ] - How creativity can help businesses adapt to changing conditions.


• [09:47 ] - The communities that Scott is involved in and finds important.


• [12:22 ] - The level of interest Scott has in learning and meeting people at conferences.


• [13:42 ] - What's new in the compliance world?


• [18:56 ] - What Synergy's recent comment letter to the SEC is all about. 


• [24:20 ] - Why people should consider writing comments to the SEC.

Quotes

[05:37 ] - "One of the things we, compliance officers, do that is special is we remain very agile. We do not become rigid in any way. We focus heavily on processes, but we will change that process in a heartbeat if there's an inefficiency or if it's not meeting the ultimate goal, which is to provide the most cost-effective compliance solution." ~ Scott Gill

[10:55 ] - "Compliance is a regulatory environment that's full of gray areas. So, getting different perspectives from other compliance professionals is important as you're making your regulatory interpretations and decisions." ~ Scott Gill

[21:17 ] - "Many of the rules proposed to the SEC are not designed for single advisor state-registered firms. A single individual who's already wearing multiple hats and adding additional requirements may not reduce risks for the size and nature of their business." ~ Scott Gill

Links 

• Scott Gill on LinkedIn


• Synergy RIA Compliance Solutions


• E*Trade


• J.P. Morgan


• Wells Fargo


• Carolina's Investment Consulting


• XY Planning Network


• IACCP Designation and Training Program


• National Association for Fixed Annuities

Connect with our hosts

• Smartria


• Mac on LinkedIn


• Rebekah on LinkedIn

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• Google Podcasts

Learn more about Smartria

Creativity, Community, and Compliance is brought to you by Smartria, an award-winning compliance management platform for compliance consulting firms and RIA networks. We excel at making the complex and frustrating world of compliance simple to manage and easy to understand. Want to get a behind-the-scenes tour and check it out? Reach out to us at hello@smartria.com and take a peek at our website, smartria.com.