The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed Rule 202(a)(11)(G)-1 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (Advisers Act), to define “family offices” that would be excluded from the definition of “investment adviser.” The proposed rule was mandated in Section 409 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the Act).

Family offices are established by wealthy families to manage their wealth, plan for their families’ financial future and provide other services to family members. Absent an exclusion, family offices would typically fall under the definition of investment adviser under the Advisers Act.