Barbara Roper
Courtesy of the SEC
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Barbara Roper is finding that her post at the Securities and Exchange Commission offers a good opportunity to improve conditions for the typical investor.
A leading spokesperson on investor-protection issues, Roper, 67, worried about taking the role of senior adviser to the chair at the SEC. But she did so in 2021, and last year relocated to Washington, DC, from Colorado to work from the regulatory agency’s headquarters.
The “eclectic role” offers opportunities to share her expertise “on a variety of issues” relating to retail investor protection, says Roper, who previously served as the director of investor protection for the Consumer Federation of America.
Last year, she worked with staffers to publish guidance on the SEC’s best-interest standards for broker-dealers and its fiduciary-duty standards for investment advisors. Further guidance on those issues is expected to be forthcoming, she says.
This year, she expects to weigh in on possible rule-making related to digital engagement practices by broker-dealers and investment advisors, and on the creation of a registration form for registered index-linked annuities.
Says SEC Chair Gary Gensler: “Barb is a champion for investors and will provide invaluable counsel on behalf of the American public.”
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