Carolyn McPhillips, president of Mutual Fund Directors Forum, has penned a commentary piece for Barron's in which she maintains that as deregulation of the markets takes hold, mutual fund directors have an opportunity—and responsibility—to step up. "Directors can provide tailored oversight of funds rather than forcing shareholders to pay for regulations that apply across the industry that may be onerously expensive or not well-suited to every fund across our diverse industry," she writes.

In the May 6 article, McPhillips pointed out that the Trump administration is rolling back government regulations, including at the Securities and Exchange Commission, and newly confirmed SEC Chair Paul Atkins has advocated for returning "common sense" to the agency. "As the SEC is looking for areas of potential deregulation—everyday investors may be exposed to new risks in asset classes they couldn’t access before. This is where a fund board will step in," she argues. 

To read the commentary piece in Barron's, click here.