One of the current administration’s persistent themes has been deregulation — cutting through the red tape in the rules of doing business. In one instance, Donald Trump was filmed standing beside mounds of paperwork to symbolize the amount of regulation the government has implemented since 1960.1
Perhaps the same can be said for the paperwork associated with our financial accounts, from bank statements to investment prospectuses to insurance policies. It’s important to recognize regulations often have two goals: To protect the consumer, and to protect the company providing the product or service.
We understand that sometimes the paperwork associated with your investments and insurance policies can be overwhelming, so please don’t hesitate to ask questions. We are here to help you fully understand your financial choices.
One such controversial regulation — currently being debated in Congress — is a rollback of the Dodd-Frank Act that was passed in 2010 to tighten rules on the banking system. Now that the economy has recovered from the recession, many legislators are in favor of loosening the banking rules, especially those affecting small community banks. Those who oppose reducing regulations fear the country will fall into the same bad practices and history will repeat itself. 2
Some regulations are so imbedded in our society that the affected industries now believe repealing them could cause more problems than keeping them. The most recent example was the EPA’s announcement to roll back emission standards for U.S. cars. However, the initiative has fallen flat with at least one auto manufacturer, stating it plans to implement the vehicle-emissions rules enacted under Barack Obama to continue addressing global warming considerations. Others think rolling back these regulations would increase their costs, especially if California implements its own emissions standards, which could lead to court battles.3
U.S. farmers are closely watching some of the regulations that have added extensive costs and delays to their businesses. They’re particularly interested in the Waters of the U.S. rule, although the EPA has postponed that rollback for two years. However, the Secretary of Agriculture announced that the USDA has identified 27 final rules that it plans to eliminate, saving $56 million per year.4
