The debate over the fiduciary standard is far from over. For starters, the Securities and Exchange Commission in late-July published a request for a 30-day public comment period relating to the standard of care obligations of broker-dealers and investment advisors.

In addition, the agency is conducting a six-month study on the issue as mandated by Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010.

Meanwhile, a group of four financial advisor organizations with skin in the game, along with the Committee for the Fiduciary Standard, will jointly sponsor a forum on the topic on September 24 in Washington. The event site will be announced shortly.

In addition to the Committee for the Fiduciary Standard, the event co-sponsors are the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Financial Planning Association, Financial Services Institute, and National Association of Personal Financial Advisors.

"As the first major review with prospective rulemaking on the duties of brokers and advisors in 70 years, and on the heels of the financial crisis, to say that the SEC's work here is vital to investors is an understatement," said Knut A. Rostad, Chairman of the Committee for the Fiduciary Standard.

The forum aims to provide input into the SEC's study, which was set up to evaluate the effectiveness of the existing standards of care of brokers and advisors.

Speakers will include academic and policy research experts, including professors Tamar Frankel from Boston University and Arthur Laby of Rutgers University.

This forum follows a "Call for Papers", announced July 21, which urges academics and practitioners alike to submit summary papers (1250 to 4000 words), to address issues raised in the SEC study. The "Call for Papers" is sponsored by the Boston University Review of Banking and Financial Law, in cooperation with The Committee for the Fiduciary Standard.

The "Call for Papers" link is at: http://www.thefiduciarystandard.org/documents/CallforPapersFinal%20_2_.pdf