Conflicts of Interest Cost Americans $17 Billion Annually

$17 billion

Estimate from the Obama White House of how much money Americans lost annually because of conflicts of interest among financial advisers. Wall Street groups say that estimate is too high. Academics say it’s too low. The Obama administration’s Fiduciary rule — which requires advisers to have a fiduciary responsibility to act in the best interests of their clients when dealing with retirement accounts — is set to take partial effect on Friday. But it may be short-lived: President Trump ordered that the rule be reevaluated, reports Bloomberg.

Enthusiasm Gap Between GOP and Dems Is Growing

7 points

Amy Walter: “The latest example of this enthusiasm gap is the drop in the percentage of Americans who identify as Republican. Polling taken in May by Gallup finds 45% of Americans identify themselves as Democrats and 38% identify as Republican. The seven-point gap is the largest recorded by Gallup since April of 2015. With Trump’s overall job rating stalled in the high 30’s to low 40’s and the GOP- controlled Congress yet to rally around (or pass) a significant legislative agenda, it’s not surprising to see fewer Americans identify themselves as a Republican.”