About Fidelity

eDelivery Overview

It’s time to update the rules to acknowledge growing consumer preference and technology advancements


Fidelity believes electronic delivery (eDelivery) is the most effective way to communicate with customers of all ages. Current Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules require us to send millions of paper documents annually, inundating customers with paper and harming the environment. We support the bipartisan Improving Disclosure for Investors Act and urge the SEC to change the default delivery of investment documents to eDelivery, while preserving the option to receive paper for those who prefer it. It’s time to enhance investor protections and allow customers to receive critical investment information in a more secure, accessible, engaging, and less wasteful manner.


Read the Facts

Why the SEC should modernize its rules.

Research

Check out recent research on the importance of eDelivery.

Our Point of View

Read our POV on the benefits of eDelivery for our customers and the environment.

Investor Protection


Learn more about 5 important investor protections we believe should be met as part of any transition to digital.

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Advance Notice

Investors should be provided clear and readable disclosures about the transition to digital delivery well before the transition begins.

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Honor Investor Preferences

Investors who want to receive paper documents, can choose to receive documents by postal mail.

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Easy Access to Change Contact

Investors should have the ability to change contact information prior to digital delivery and there should be limitations on firms' use of digital delivery to investors who provided digital contact information.

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Consumer-Friendly Format

Investors should have access to regulatory documents in a timely and user-friendly manner, and if requested, the ability to receive a paper document in a reasonable timeframe.





Safeguards to Assure Delivery

Firms should establish safeguards to address email “bounce backs” and inoperable digital contact information that transition investors to paper mail delivery if digital contact is not successful.

Industry View

Read Fidelity, BlackRock and Charles Schwab’s Letter on eDelivery.


In The News

Pensions & Investments

House committee advances bill calling on SEC to allow default e-delivery*

InvestmentNews

Automatic e-delivery of investment documents gains bipartisan support*

ThinkAdvisor

New Bill Requires SEC to Write E-Delivery Rule*

InvestmentNews

BlackRock, Schwab, Fidelity press SEC for wider digital delivery of investment documents*

Pensions & Investments

Electronic disclosure rule has sufficient safeguards, DOL says*

The Hill

For small businesses, electronic document delivery is critical to the full benefit of retirement modernization*

InvestmentNews

The SEC’s Adoption of e-Delivery is Well Overdue*

*You are now leaving Fidelity.com for a website that is unaffiliated with Fidelity. Fidelity has not been involved in the preparation of the content supplied at the unaffiliated site and does not guarantee or assume any responsibility for its content.


Retirement & Student Debt


Fidelity is actively pursuing public policy solutions that expand access to retirement accounts and increase retirement savings for all Americans. We are also committed to developing tools and services that help students, borrowers, and the private sector tackle the student debt crisis.


As one of the country's leading retirement service providers, Fidelity advocates for public policies that are practical and workable for employees, employers, and plan service providers. We support enhancements to the private retirement system including the passage of the SECURE 2.0 Act. This law includes important reforms such as allowing employers to make matching retirement contributions if an employee is paying off their student loans, facilitating auto-portability between retirement plans and enabling employers to offer emergency savings accounts.

Fidelity engages with Congress to share our views on policies that will benefit retirement savers. Click below to read our recent Senate and House testimony.

Letters

Read our Letters to the U.S House and Senate on the Securing a Strong Retirement Act and Enhancing American Retirement Now (EARN) Act.

Innovation

Read about the Pooled Employer Plan (PEP) opportunity, a new way to reduce the retirement coverage gap.

Read the Facts

Learn about the student debt crisis and how Fidelity is tackling it with policymakers.

Research

Check out our recent research on the impacts of student debt.

Our Point of View

Read our POV on student debt and policy recommendations to help borrowers.

Case Study

The Secure Act, signed into law in 2019 enabled us to introduce Fidelity Advantage 401(k), an offering for small businesses that do not offer a retirement plan today. This is an opportunity to close the retirement coverage gap, while allowing business owners to outsource their retirement plan management to Fidelity and instead focus on what they do best - running their businesses.

IN THE NEWS

Plansponsor

EARN Act Clears Senate Finance Committee*

Investment News

House approves SECURE 2.0 with strong bipartisan vote*

PlanAdviser

Industry and Congress Agree the Coverage Gap Is a Big Problem*

The Hill

'SECURE 2.0' Will Modernize Retirement Security for the Post-COVID American Workforce*

CNBC

Many Americans Can’t Afford an Emergency Expense and are Calling for Employers to Help*

Fidelity Investments

Fidelity Statement on Congress Passing the Secure Act

HR Daily Advisor

Year-End Appropriations Act Makes It Easier for Employers to Make a Difference in Tackling Employee Student Debt*

401k Specialist

How Employers Can Tackle the $1.7 Billion Student Debt Issue*

*You are now leaving Fidelity.com for a website that is unaffiliated with Fidelity. Fidelity has not been involved in the preparation of the content supplied at the unaffiliated site and does not guarantee or assume any responsibility for its content.


Digital Assets

Fidelity's goal is to be a holistic solutions provider in digital assets. We believe blockchain technology and digital assets will represent a large part of the financial industry's future.


We began exploring digital assets in 2014 with a heavy focus on research and development and our digital assets ecosystem now offers an expanding digital assets product portfolio to increase customer access and choice. Fidelity supports the development of a comprehensive and coordinated regulatory regime for digital assets that enables innovation while providing strong investor protections. We are committed to working with policymakers and regulators to support the growing digital assets industry.

Education and Resources

Check out our history of innovation in digital assets, related offerings and educational resources.

Letter

Read the letter Fidelity and others in the industry sent to the EPA on Bitcoin and Digital Asset Mining.

Letter

Read our letter to the Department of Labor regarding Compliance Assistance Release No. 2022-01 – 401(k) Plan Investments in “Cryptocurrencies” (CAR).

Letter

Read the letter Fidelity Digital AssetsSM sent to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee related to the laws and regulations around the rapidly developing cryptocurrency and blockchain technology ecosystem.

Institutional Research

Fidelity Digital AssetsSM serves institutional investors through its digital asset custody and trade execution platform and asset management arm. Read their recent research and insights.


Digital Assets Principles


Any new laws, regulations or rules must be governed by principles that ensure a level playing field and that the United States remains a competitive market for new technologies to flourish. Fidelity’s four digital assets principles are:

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Digital Assets will fundamentally transform the financial service industry.

These technologies have moved beyond single use cases as a payment mechanism or store of value and are part of a diverse ecosystem of digital assets that take many forms.

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Regulators have grappled with how to appropriately adapt or apply existing regulatory structures to digital assets.

The time has come for regulators to recognize that digital assets are a unique and diverse asset class not completely captured by existing definitions and categories and adjust the regulatory framework accordingly.

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Regulators need to provide clear, consistent, and timely guidance that removes barriers to entry and adoption created by uncertainty and allows new participants and incumbent firms to innovate and compete on equal footing, including clarity and consistency across regulators and jurisdictions.

Digital asset technologies offer meaningful, market enhancing benefits such as real-time settlement, transparency, immutable transactions and frictionless payments. New regulations are needed to address the unique aspects of digital assets that current securities, commodities and banking regulations do not address.

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Fidelity supports strong and swift regulatory action against bad actors in this space, which will instill confidence in the digital assets market and protect investors.

Policing the digital assets space for fraud will instill greater confidence in mature and legitimate assets like bitcoin. We are committed to facilitating the adoption of and compliance with meaningful digital assets anti-money laundering regulations.


Investment Advice


Fidelity believes investment advice should be provided in the investor’s best interest while allowing savers continued choice and access to the products and services they need. We support the SEC’s Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI), which provides a strong and workable standard of conduct for broker-dealers, and believe states should assess the impact of Reg BI before creating state-specific standards.

Read the Facts

How a national standard (the SEC's Reg BI) is best for investors and allows them to choose and access the products and services they need.

Our Point of View

Our POV on investment advice and the benefits of the SEC's Reg BI.

Testimony

Check out our public testimony on the initial Massachusetts Fiduciary proposal.

REGULATION BEST INTEREST

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Puts Customers First

Fidelity is committed to putting the interests of our customers first. Reg BI is consistent with this commitment because it obligates brokers to act in the best interest of the retail customer without placing the “financial or other interest of the broker-dealer” ahead of the interest of the retail customer.

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Raised the Bar For The Industry

Reg BI contains a series of obligations for brokers that clearly strengthen and enhance existing investor protections. The rule requires brokers to disclose all material facts relating to conflicts of interest associated with a recommendation, such as a conflict associated with how a broker is compensated, and the fees and costs the customer may pay related to a security. In addition, brokers must consider the costs of a security and the reasonably available alternatives.

customer choice

Preserves Customer Choice

The SEC’s standard is designed to strengthen retail customer protections, but preserve the ability of customers to choose the type of relationship and products that meet the needs of the retail customer. The retail customer is free to choose a relationship with a broker—brokers provide transaction-based services and are paid on a commission basis—or an adviser—advisers provide on going financial planning and account monitoring and are paid a fee based on the amount of customer assets managed.

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Strengthens and Aligns Rules

The adoption of Reg BI means that both brokers and advisers are required to provide recommendations or advice that is in the best interest of customers and puts the financial interests of customers first.

Supports Strong Enforcement

Enforcement of Reg BI focuses on whether a broker fulfilled each new obligation of Reg BI and put customer interests first. In addition, brokers are required to implement written policies and procedures to ensure that conflicts are identified in addition to policies, procedures, and employee training designed to maintain compliance with Reg BI.

Comment Letter

Read our comment letter to the Department of Labor on its investment advice proposal.


In the News

InvestmentNews

SIFMA Wants New SEC to Give Reg BI Time to Work*

Kiplinger

Investors Win with New SEC 'Best Interest' Rules on Brokers*

The Wall Street Journal

Fiduciary Rule Fixer-Upper*

*You are now leaving Fidelity.com for a website that is unaffiliated with Fidelity. Fidelity has not been involved in the preparation of the content supplied at the unaffiliated site and does not guarantee or assume any responsibility for its content.


MONEY MARKET FUNDS


Reforms must be narrowly tailored to address liquidity pressures in Institutional Prime Funds


Since 1974, Fidelity has served as a leading provider of money market funds (MMFs) and has extensive experience managing funds in both normal and stressed market conditions. Money market funds can provide significant benefits to investors small and large, the short-term funding markets and the broader economy, and are an attractive investment due to their convenience, high credit quality, and liquidity. Click below to read our views on proposed reforms.



Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)


Fidelity is a leading provider of health savings accounts (HSAs), which allow individuals to set aside money on a tax-advantaged basis to pay for qualified medical expenses. We support public policies that would increase contribution limits and expand access to HSAs by easing the eligibility rules. We believe HSAs should be available to more than just HSA-eligible health plan participants.


Financial Stability

Read why Fidelity believes recent improvements to the Financial Stability Oversight Council's (FSOC) approach to addressing potential risks to U.S. financial stability creates a strong and stable regulatory environment.


MORE POLICY ISSUES

Statement For the Record

Read the statement we submitted to the House Financial Services Committee on Equity Market Structure and SRO Reform.

Letter

Read the comment letter we filed on the SEC's liquidity risk management and swing pricing proposal.

Letter

Read the comment letter we filed on the SEC's equity market structure proposals.

Read the Facts

Read about Fidelity’s year-round approach to financial literacy education.