Hi Marketing Wranglers,

The SEC just greenlit a rule that could completely reshape how funds are built and sold, setting the stage for a new era of product innovation in the $27 trillion investment industry. At the same time, Meta is under intense scrutiny after reports revealed it may be profiting from billions in fraudulent ads, sparking global regulatory backlash.

Over in the insurance world, companies are struggling to connect with Gen Z: a generation that gets most of its financial advice from social media and rarely talks about life coverage at all.

⚖️ The SEC’s ETF Shake-Up: A new rule blurs the line between ETFs and mutual funds, opening the door to a more competitive fund landscape

💰 Meta’s $16 Billion Ad Problem: Internal leaks suggest the social giant is making billions from scam ads

📱 Life Insurance Meets TikTok: Insurers need to ditch boring ads and master social storytelling if they want Gen Z to care about coverage

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) just made one of its biggest regulatory moves in years by approving a rule that lets fund companies create ETF share classes of traditional mutual funds. This shift could completely reshape how investment products are built, sold, and marketed across the $27 trillion U.S. fund industry.

Historically, mutual funds and ETFs have operated in separate worlds: one priced once a day, the other traded in real-time. Now, the SEC's approval effectively blurs that line, allowing fund providers to merge the two models into a single, more flexible structure. The implications are significant:

While most firms are racing to convert mutual funds into ETFs, State Street Investment Management is flipping the script. Home to the $1.7 trillion SPDR ETF family, State Street plans to create mutual fund versions of its ETFs to crack open the massive 401(k) and 403(b) retirement markets, which have been largely closed to ETFs.

According to Anna Paglia, State Street's Chief Business Officer, the move could bring ETF-style efficiency into retirement portfolios that have long relied on traditional mutual funds. "The ETF technology is the most efficient in this market," she said, "but it's not the right wrapper for everyone."

The SEC's decision signals a more flexible regulatory era where product innovation and compliance can coexist. Innovation is temporarily stalled due to the government shutdown, which has paused further SEC approvals. But when operations resume in Washington, the industry is expecting a surge of filings and product launches that could redefine how Americans invest.

The SEC's ETF rule isn't just a structural change, it's a strategic one. It opens the door to a more competitive, cost-efficient, and investor-friendly fund landscape. With firms like State Street already reimagining how to use the new rule, the line between ETFs and mutual funds might soon disappear entirely.

More information on CNBC.

A bombshell Reuters report just dropped some seriously damaging allegations against Meta. Internal documents suggest the tech giant may be raking in up to $16 billion annually from fraudulent and banned ads (that's roughly 10% of its total revenue). Even more shocking: users are reportedly hit with 15 billion "high-risk" scam ads every single day.

Meta insists the documents were "misinterpreted" and points to improved scam detection that's cut global scam reports by 58% in 2025. But with billions allegedly tied to dodgy ads, that defense might be a tough sell.

Bottom Line: Meta's facing a serious reckoning. Between looming regulatory heat and a massive PR crisis, the company needs to prove it's cleaning up its act before trust (and revenue) takes a hit.

Unpack the complete story on Marketing Dive.

The life insurance industry has a serious youth problem. Gen Z and millennials think policies cost way more than they actually do, and over half who lack basic knowledge about life insurance also have zero coverage. With fewer families even talking about it, awareness is plummeting fast.

Insurers need to ditch the stuffy marketing playbook and go where young people actually are: TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. But here's the catch: social media is a double-edged sword. While it can drive massive awareness, it's also flooded with misinformation from unlicensed influencers peddling bad advice.

The winning strategy? Authentic storytelling, radical transparency, and real-life examples that show why coverage matters. According to a new LIMRA and Life Happens study, building trust with younger audiences means speaking their language and proving your brand has staying power.

Life insurance can't afford to be boring anymore. If the industry wants to reach the next generation of policyholders, it needs to get creative, get real, and get scrolling.

Get more insights on The C.O.R.E Group.

Reusing last quarter’s ad copy might save time, but it could also recycle outdated claims or expired offers. What worked once might not pass review twice.

Before you hit publish, double-check your disclaimers. Copy-paste shouldn’t mean copy-problem.

Warrant helps teams flag outdated language and version gaps before campaigns go live, so your next “reuse” is still risk-free.

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