From the Editor...

We hear all the time about how important "chemistry" is among the members of a mutual fund board. It's difficult to define precisely, but it's clear that when it's present the boardroom runs more smoothly. Our most recent Viewpoints is authored by John Broer from Real Good Ventures. John works with teams of all kinds—including fund boards—to help them identify what types of personalities will fit best in the role, or roles, they have to fill. Using a predictive tool to identify how an individual will function and interact with other teammates, or board members, can help make recruiting easier and more straightforward, John says. It's pretty fascinating and worth a read. 

On the legal front, we recently wrote about the uptick in books and records requests submitted to advisers and fund boards. Lawyers are recommending boards know what their position is should such a request come their way, as the amount and type of information a shareholder can inspect varies widely by state. The SEC already is scrutinizing the 15(c) process, and now the plaintiffs' bar looks like it's taking a new tack when it comes to allegations of excessive fees.  

You also can catch up on news out of the Fifth Circuit regarding a 2015 lawsuit filed against the board members of a Highland Funds trust and adviser Highland Capital Management Fund Advisors, a overview of what to know when overseeing sub-adviser transitions, and all of our stories from March in the latest monthly PDF, posted last week—and more! 

Drop us an email or give us a call! We'd love to hear from you.

For now,

Hillary Jackson, founding editor