Micah Hauptman: Advocating for Investors’ Best Interests

Our guest on the podcast today is Micah Hauptman. Micah is the director of investor protection at the Consumer Federation of America, a nonprofit association of nearly 300 national, state, and local pro-consumer organizations. He leads CFA’s investor protection work through conducting research and engaging in advocacy on investor protection issues, focusing primarily on the regulation of investment advisors, investment companies, and broker/dealers, particularly as they relate to the provision of retail investment products and services. Prior to rejoining CFA in early 2022 Micah served as counsel to Securities and Exchange Commission commissioner Caroline Crenshaw, and before that he served as CFA’s financial services counsel for nearly seven years. He also worked at Public Citizen on a broad range of banking and tax issues and started his career as a prosecutor for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office. Micah received his bachelor’s degree in political science from UCLA and his JD degree from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.BackgroundBioKey Challenges for Investors“New Offerings of Crypto in Retirement Plans Underscore Need for DOL Fiduciary,” by Micah Hauptman and Dylan Bruce, consumerfed.org, April 4, 2023.Department of Labor’s 2016 Fiduciary Rule: Background and Issues“Improving Investment Advice for Workers & Retirees,” U.S. Department of Labor, dol.gov, June 29, 2020.Regulation Best InterestRegulation Best Interest (Reg BI) Overview“What Regulation Best Interest Means for Brokers and Asset Managers,” by Aron Szapiro, Morningstar.com, Nov. 18, 2019.“Beyond the FINRA Suitability Comfort Zone,” by Matthew Radgowski and Jill Axline, Morningstar.com, March 9, 2020.Cryptocurrency“Crypto: Risks Abound,” by Micah Hauptman, consumerfed.org, Nov. 17, 2022.“With Crypto, Advisors Need to Tread Carefully,” by Jasmin Sethi, Morningstar.com, Aug. 15, 2022.“Bitcoin in Your 401(k)? Not so Fast,” by Madeline Hume, Morningstar.com, April 27, 2022.Social Media“Investors in the United States: The Changing Landscape,” A Report of the FINRA Foundation National Financial Capability Study, finrafoundation.org, December 2022.“Why You Should Stop Taking Investment Advice From Social Media,” by Sunniva Kolostyak, Morningstar.com, June 16, 2021.Environmental, Social, and Governance“CFA Strongly Supports SEC Proposals to Enhance ESG-Related Disclosures and Update Names Rule,” by Micah Hauptman and Dylan Bruce, consumerfed.org, Aug. 16, 2022.“Amid Charges of Greenwashing, Sustainable-Investment Industry Attempts to Reassure Investors,” by Leslie Norton, Morningstar.com, June 8, 2022.Other“Robert Powell: ‘How Do I Generate the Income?’” The Long View podcast, Morningstar.com, March 14, 2023.Morningstar Investment Conference 2023