Volunteer Leadership Groups

FSI Councils

FSI has several advisory councils that provide advice and input to FSI’s staff and Board of Directors. These councils meet in-person and virtually throughout the year and are lead by a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Immediate Past Chair made up of active council members. Current councils include:

Accounting & Finance Council
Share best practices through continuing education on relevant and timely topics including, but not limited to, pending regulatory and tax legislation, crypto and bitcoin acceptance, as well as cyber concerns and audit experiences. Ongoing discussions encompass changes and goals related to accounting, FinOps, and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).

Compliance Council
Through regular discussion, converse on matters related to regulatory initiatives, issues and trends impacting business and compliance best practices, creating deliverables such as surveys, white papers, and presentations to inform and support member firms.

Investment Advisory Services Council
Discuss items impacting the advancement of the fiduciary and advisory space such as regulation, products, platform structures, business models, technology, and trends; and how to resolve/respond appropriately. Through regular discussions both in person and remote, the council creates annual initiatives and deliverables such as surveys, white papers and/or presentations to inform/support member firms in their management and growth of advisory business.

Operations & Technology Council
Discuss best practices including, but not limited to, client data security, streamlined virtual processes and reporting and FINRA/SEC branch audits. Within this provided forum, operations and technology firm professionals evaluate and discuss the impact current issues have on their respective departments and the industry in general.

Task Forces

FSI also uses task forces for specific projects. Volunteers are recruited annually and meet by conference call. Current task forces are:

AI Task Force
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Task Force is dedicated to exploring, evaluating, and guiding the responsible adoption and integration of AI technologies within FSI’s membership. With a focus on enhancing access to independent retail financial advice, the Task Force works to identify practical applications and best practices that drive efficiency, innovation, and client value.

Key areas of exploration include:

• Identifying AI use cases that align with industry needs and strategic objectives.
• Addressing risk management and regulatory considerations to ensure compliance and ethical AI deployment.
• Aligning AI innovations across the financial services value chain to maximize impact and operational efficiency.
• Evaluating public policy implications to advocate for a regulatory environment that fosters responsible AI adoption.

By providing thought leadership and industry guidance, the FSI AI Task Force plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of AI in financial services, ensuring that technology adoption supports both the growth of independent financial advisors and the best interests of their clients.

Next-Gen Advisors Task Force
This group collaborates with FSI members to help prepare for future growth by creating actionable strategies for the recruitment and training of diverse next-gen advisors.

OneVoice Task Force
This task force collaborates with FSI to design and execute our annual OneVoice conference. The goal is to develop a dynamic agenda providing topics and speakers for education sessions as well as determining keynote presenters. Members consist of volunteers from our various firm member councils, FSI staff support as well as a single representative from our ambassador and premier sponsors.

Standard of Care Task Force
This task force collaborates with FSI staff to assess and respond to policy proposals related to standards of care for advisors and firms when servicing clients, such as fiduciary and best interest standards.  The task force also collaborates on potential research projects that support FSI’s advocacy on standard of care issues.

Working Groups

Human Resources Working Group
Advise and educate on people-related content in support of FSI’s advocacy mission. The working group focuses primarily on human capital engagement and best practices, including talent management, workforce planning, total rewards and diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Regulation by Enforcement Working Group
The Regulation by Enforcement Task Force plays a critical role in supporting FSI’s efforts to promote fair and transparent regulatory practices within the financial services industry. FSI strongly opposes Regulation by Enforcement—a practice where enforcement actions are taken against conduct that market participants could not reasonably have anticipated as violations of federal securities laws, despite good faith efforts to comply with existing legal and regulatory frameworks.

The Task Force serves as a collaborative forum where members can share experiences, identify enforcement and examination trends, and offer insights that inform FSI’s advocacy strategy. Members also contribute by reviewing and providing feedback on key FSI materials related to this issue. The Task Force typically meets on a quarterly basis to align on developments and drive strategic input.

Supervision Working Group
The Supervision Working Group is a dedicated collective of supervision leaders from the independent broker-dealer industry, uniquely positioned at the intersection of operations and compliance. As tactical compliance professionals, we play a critical role in ensuring effective oversight, mitigating risk, and maintaining regulatory integrity within our firms.

Our mission is to elevate the discipline of supervision by sharing ideas, strategies, experiences, and best practices. Through collaboration, we strengthen our individual firms and enhance the overall supervisory function across the industry. Additionally, we serve as the tip of the spear in engaging with regulatory bodies, exchanging insights that help us navigate regulatory complexities and proactively manage advisor risk.

Advisory Board

CoveredAdvisor Advisory Board
Since 2014, FSI’s CoveredAdvisor Benefits Program has provided exclusive insurance solutions to over 15,000 financial professionals, offering access to Long-Term Disability coverage, Group Term Life/AD&D, Critical Illness and Accident Insurance, Business Overhead Insurance, and a comprehensive Staff of Advisors bundled benefits package.

As the program continues to expand and evolve, the CoveredAdvisor Advisory Board—comprised of representatives from both large and small Firm Members, as well as Sponsors—plays a vital role in shaping its direction. Working in collaboration with FSI staff, the Advisory Board helps firms maximize the program’s value across all aspects of their business, from recruitment strategies to advisor solutions. Additionally, the Board is instrumental in ensuring that financial professionals are fully informed about the exclusive benefits available to them, reinforcing FSI’s commitment to supporting the success and well-being of its members.