How This Plan Was Developed

The SEC values independent, high-quality assessments of its performance against its goals and desired strategic objectives. Such assessments help gauge our progress so we can take action, as needed, to refine our programs or allocate resources accordingly. Various audits, studies, and evaluations of SEC programs and securities industry-related issues have been completed since the release of the agency’s previous Strategic Plan, and these have served as an important resource in the development of this Strategic Plan. In particular, the SEC considered the findings from independent audits of the agency’s performance conducted by the SEC’s Office of Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office. The SEC also considered the results of internal assessments and evaluations of the agency’s performance, including those reported in the agency’s most recent Annual Performance Report. Over the next four years, the SEC will continue to draw on evaluations from a variety of sources to improve its programs.

In developing the Strategic Plan, the SEC took into account the information gleaned from meetings with the many internal and external parties with which the agency interacts on a regular basis, including members of Congress and congressional committees, investors, businesses, financial market participants, academics, and other experts and stakeholders. This includes formal outreach efforts through the SEC’s advisory committees; Commission-sponsored roundtables focused on specific issues; the agency’s Annual Government-Business Forum on Capital Formation; the SEC’s annual conference with the North American Securities Administrators Association; and solicitations of public comments on Commission rule proposals.

While the initiatives outlined in this Strategic Plan are intended to address its top priorities over the next four years, it must be mentioned that there are, of course, risks to, and limitations on, the SEC’s ability to achieve its strategic goals. Some of these risks and limitations are operational in nature, such as those pertaining to key technology systems or oversight of outside vendors who support SEC programs, while other risks result from external sources such as new forms of fraud, evolution of financial products, or changes to funding levels and the availability of qualified personnel. Accordingly, the SEC continues to build its enterprise risk management program, supported by representatives from SEC divisions and offices, to strengthen its ability to proactively identify, assess, and mitigate risks to attaining its mission.