Compliance Consulting
Compliance thatprotects growth.
Our compliance team takes a proactive approach — helping you understand the rules and regulations that impact your lines of business to create a culture of compliance in your company. Let us manage your compliance program so you can focus on growing a successful business.
The Challenges You Face
Regulation is ever growing and changing. Your program must keep pace.
Registered Investment Advisers
Annual Rule 206(4)-7 reviews, marketing-rule exposure, SEC examination readiness, and the growing weight of state and federal filing obligations — often without a full-time CCO.
Broker-Dealers
Supervisory procedure design under Rule 3120, U4/U5 obligations, electronic communications review, AML programs, and FINRA cycle exams that demand documented evidence.
Insurance Companies Offering Annuity Products
Suitability processes, agent onboarding and continuing education, KYC/AML obligations, and disclosure maintenance across multiple state jurisdictions.
Private Fund Managers
Registration-versus-exemption analysis and right-sized compliance support that matches the firm's regulatory standing.
Our Compliance Services
Decades of experience across the BD, RIA, private fund, and insurance spaces.
Broker-Dealer Services
- New and continuing BD registrations
- U4 & U5 filings for registered representatives
- Written supervisory procedures design & maintenance
- Supervisory control policies & procedures review — Rule 3120
- Risk assessment and gap analysis
- Employee and Firm Element training
- Email and social media review
- Supervision of electronic communications approved for business use
- Annual compliance meeting & questionnaire design and administration
- Anti-money laundering review
- Form CRS review
- Outsourced CCO or CCO guidance
- Remote inspections
Investment Adviser Services
- Annual review of compliance program — Rule 206(4)-7
- Risk assessment and gap analysis
- Policies & procedures manual design & maintenance
- Assistance with SEC audits and retrospective review
- Email and social media review
- Supervision of all electronic communications approved for business use
- Staff training
- Marketing review and approvals
- Required regulatory filings including ADV, PF, and state filings
- Outsourced CCO or CCO guidance
- Annual compliance meeting design and administration
Insurance & Annuity Company Services
- State filings
- Agent onboarding
- Continuing education administration and monitoring for agents
- KYC — Know Your Customer
- AML policy review and training
- Suitability process
- Creation and maintenance of proper disclosures
Private Fund Manager Services
- Registration or exemption determination
- Compliance support tailored to the firm's standing
AML Independent Audits
Independent AML testing for broker-dealers — built for the online era.
American Elm provides AML independent audits for broker-dealers, delivering the objective annual testing FINRA expects — with findings that are practical, documented, and ready for examination. We specialize in audits and evaluations for BDs launching online platforms, and have guided new broker-dealers entering this fast-growing space from initial structuring through their first offerings.
Whether you operate a traditional brokerage or a technology-forward platform, our auditors understand the customer journeys, onboarding flows, and funding mechanics that make online distribution different — and where regulators focus their attention.
Explore AML Audit ServicesAudit Coverage
- Independent AML testing — FINRA Rule 3310
- AML program gap analysis and remediation
- Audits and evaluations for BDs launching online platforms
- New broker-dealer readiness reviews
- Customer identification and onboarding flow testing
- Written supervisory procedures for online distribution
How We Work
A disciplined, four-stage engagement.
Assess
Risk assessment and gap analysis across your current program, benchmarked against SEC, FINRA, and state expectations.
Design
Policies, procedures, and supervisory frameworks built for your business model — nothing more, nothing less.
Implement
Training, filings, reviews, and meeting administration delivered with your team, not around it.
Sustain
Ongoing monitoring of regulatory releases, annual reviews, and examination support that keeps the program current.
Expected Outcomes
- A documented, defensible compliance program
- Reduced regulatory and reputational risk
- Examination readiness — SEC, FINRA, and state
- A culture of compliance owned across the firm
- Freedom to focus on growing your business
Expert Witness Services
Consulting and testimony for arbitration and regulatory matters.
American Elm provides expert witness consulting and testimony for the investment and insurance industries — applying more than twenty years of experience interpreting the rules of FINRA, the SEC, and Departments of Insurance.
Common Questions
Frequently asked questions.
Discuss your compliance program.
A member of our team will contact you to discuss your needs.