As of July 1, 2017 the State of Wyoming will require investment advisers to register with Wyoming securities regulators if the investment adviser has less than $100 million of assets under management (AUM) unless it meets another criteria for registering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Wyoming had been the only state that did not regulate investment advisers.
Category Archives: Wyoming Investment Advisor
Wyoming to Start Requiring IA Registration
August 15, 2016
In March of 2016 the state of Wyoming signed into law its Uniform Securities Act. The biggest take away from Wyoming’s Uniform Securities Act is that Wyoming will require investment advisers to register with Wyoming securities regulators if the investment adviser has less than $100 million Assets Under Management (AUM). The new legislation will take effect on July 1, 2017.
To the extent your investment adviser firm claims that its principal office and place of business is located in Wyoming and therefore eligible for registration with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) regardless of the amount of assets under management since the State of Wyoming does not register investment advisers, you should pay close attention to a recent SEC administrative proceeding. The SEC found that the sole investment adviser representative/owner of the investment adviser firm resided in another state where he maintained a home office and operated as his primary base. The investment adviser representative/owner utilized the Wyoming offices on an infrequent basis and did not generally direct, control or coordinate activities from Wyoming. Consequently, the SEC found the investment adviser firm violated Section 203A of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 by improperly registering with the SEC based upon its misrepresentations that the investment adviser firm’s principal office and place of business was in Wyoming. The SEC ordered the investment adviser to cease and desist, censured the investment adviser firm, fined the investment adviser in the amount of $10,000 and required the investment adviser to establish its principal office and place of business in Wyoming and provide evidence thereof.
