How Do Financial Advisors Charge Their Clients?
There are several ways that a financial advisor commission is charged. There is no perfect structure for financial advisor commissions or fees. Each has its pros and cons, and some are better suited to certain types of investors than others. What are wrap fees? AUM fees, also known as wrap fees, are charged as a […]
Wisconsin Financial Advisor Michael Shillin Indicted by the Feds
Michael Shillin, a broker and financial investment advisor formerly associated with Alliance Global Partners (A.G.P.) and Raymond James Financial Advisors, has been indicted on 9 counts of wire fraud and 1 count of bank fraud. Through his financial advisory firm Shillin Wealth Management (SWM), Mr. Shillin is alleged to have engaged in a scheme to […]
GPB Ponzi Scheme: Special Investigation Update
In February 2021, the New York State Attorney General Letitia James filed suit against GPB Capital Holdings LLC and five other co-defendants for allegedly engaging in a Ponzi-like scheme that defrauded investors out of hundreds of million, and New York investors of more than $150 million. Separate yet simultaneous suits have also been filed against […]
Buying and Selling Options without Getting Burned
From puts and calls to iron condors and butterflies, options strategies can be highly complex and the losses unlimited. Options trading is a hot topic these days, with some young traders making a killing on options on GameStop, AMC and other popular stocks. People are seeing that fast money can money can be made this […]
How to File a FINRA Complaint: A Guide For Burned Investor
Investors can pursue fraud, suitability and negligence cases through FINRA against their financial advisors.
Mutual Funds: Fees, Share Classes and Abusive Practices
Investors in mutual funds should be aware of common fraudulent practices, including annuity switching.
Are Annuities a Safe Place to Invest Your Money?
Annuities are complex, high commission products that are not right for every investor.
Horizon Private Equity: The Case for Individual FINRA Arbitrations
In August 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint and an emergency motion for an asset freeze against John Woods, Southport Capital and Horizon Private Equity Fund. In that complaint, the SEC alleged that John Woods and other employees at Southport Capital operated Horizon Private Equity as a ponzi scheme. The Court in […]
Don’t Get Short Circuited By a Trading Halts
As an investor, you’ve likely grown accustomed to dealing with periods of volatility. However, the pandemic and other recent events have created even higher levels of uncertainty for market participants, especially in early 2020. Statistics show just how much more: the March 2020 “Coronavirus Crash” broke all previous volatility records, when the S&P 500 […]
Robinhood’s Historic $70 Million Fine: What Investors Need to Know
Robinhood Financial has been besieged with complaints about margin, options and failure to execute. These complaints come despite building a multibillion-dollar brand on the promise to “democratize” and “demystify” investing. While striving to help people succeed is an admirable idea, recent events have suggested the reality of the situation is quite different. On June 30, […]