Breaking from its recent practice of making public announcements about Geographic Targeting Orders, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) last month quietly extended its real estate GTOs for another six months.

At long last, new USDOL Opinion Letters are bursting forward.  Like Spring. The agency just issued three new letters on a variety of topics, including one of my favorites, travel time.  

In rapid succession, the SEC has issued warnings and announced sanctions against registered investment advisers for fee and expense practices, false statements regarding assets under management, and misleading performance data.  No one should be surprised that the SEC is actively seeking to uncover transgressions in the RIA field.

The past year has seen a large up-tick in federal activity aimed at curbing the nation’s opioid crisis. Of particular note, on July 13, 2017, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force arrested 412 defendants in a nationwide health care fraud enforcement directive. Of these, 120 were charged for actions taken in relation to opioids.

Startup clients often rely on independent contractors and advisors during their early stages but do not have the cash to pay them, so they turn to equity compensation. Stock options are a great incentive tool, but founders should consider the following before issuing options to advisors or independent contractors: