From the Editor...

We've returned from the holiday break ready to face the New Year, and because downtime is so important for all of us, we hope you too had some restful moments over the past few weeks. 

Now that we're back, it's clear that regulation and rulemaking are top of mind for the mutual fund industry, as the Securities and Exchange Commission remains on place with its heavy workload and output. Not everyone is happy about everything that is coming out of the Commission, of course, and those representing fund boards are speaking up about it. Specifically, the outsourcing rule proposal that came out in October is garnering pushback from the industry—including from the fund governance segment of the market. The comment period has closed, so now it's a waiting game. 

Fund boards are expected to face a number of issues and challenges this year, as laid out in our latest 10 Things... list. The list doesn't cover everything every board will deal with 2023, but it's a comprehensive group of topics that many boards will deal with as we move through the year, so make sure to take a look.

Before the break, we also brought readers the inside scoop on board consolidation for Putnam's open-end and exchange-traded funds and a new Viewpoints that looks at how—and why—the role of independent fund directors has changed over the decades. It's a good, interesting read. And it's included in our annual Viewpoints ebook, which was published last week. This PDF includes all of the Viewpoints we published in 2022, and its topics are wide ranging. Download it today!

We are, as always, looking for new Viewpoints writers. Please share your insights and/or opinions on fund governance topics and issues. Get in touch via email at hillary.jackson@fundboardviews.com or telephone at 301-384-1877.

For now,

Hillary Jackson, founding editor