Don Trone blasts DOL fiduciary plan

Bernie Madoff would have no problem evading fiduciary rules, Don Trone said. (Photo: AP)

Don Trone, often referred to as the “Father of Fiduciary,” testified at a Department of Labor hearing on Thursday that its proposed fiduciary rulemaking would have failed to stop famed Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff, and that more fiduciaries than brokers have stolen money from investors.

“I think research will show that over the last 15 to 20 years, fiduciaries have stolen more money from investors and retirement savers than brokers,” Trone, who has been steeped in fiduciary endeavors for the past 30 years via his founding of the Foundation for Fiduciary Studies, as principal founder of fi360, and now as head of 3ethos, told DOL executives. “Bernie Madoff was subject to a fiduciary standard, and, if he was here today, I think he would say that the department’s proposed rules would not have slowed him down.”