
The SEC’s Marketing Rule in Advisor M&A: Endorsements and Client Transitions (Ep. 30)
From The Fine Print by David Grau Jr.
March 4, 2026 · 32 min
About this episode
This episode discusses the implications of the SEC's Marketing Rule on advisor mergers and acquisitions, focusing on endorsements and client transitions.
Regulatory scrutiny is evolving, and RIAs involved in acquisitions or succession transitions are starting to see a new area of exam focus: how the SEC’s Marketing Rule endorsement provision may apply to certain client transition communications. In this episode of The Fine Print, SRG General Counsel Todd Fulks is joined by Christine Ayako Schleppegrell, Partner at Morgan Lewis and former SEC attorney, for a timely discussion on what firms are seeing in exams and deficiency letters, and why this issue is emerging now. You will hear how a rule many advisors associate with testimonials and advertising is beginning to surface in the M&A transition context, and what firms can do to stay prepared.
People in this episode
Host: Todd Fulks
Guest: Christine Ayako Schleppegrell
Topics covered
- SEC Marketing Rule
- Advisor M&A
- Client Transitions
- Regulatory Scrutiny
- Endorsements
- Exams
- Deficiency Letters
Keywords
- SEC
- Marketing Rule
- Advisor M&A
- Client Transitions
- Regulatory Scrutiny
- Exams
- Deficiency Letters
- Endorsements
- Testimonials
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Morgan Lewis, SEC, SRG
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