Not legally, they can’t. Investment advisers are allowed to advertise in an effort to draw attention to their services. However, their advertisements are regulated. By law, they can’t be materially misleading and must be fair and balanced. Here are six things these...
If you are well informed, have read the prospectus, have learned about the company and understand the risk, investing in an initial public offering (IPO) could be potentially lucrative. If you are not, it could be a speculative or even inappropriate investment for...
Investors sometimes get into disputes with their broker-dealers over how their money has been invested. Your broker may have gone against your wishes, for example, by trading against your established investment plan. Or, your broker may have recommended an investment...
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) publicly posts statistics about the arbitration proceedings held under its auspices. As of this writing on August 5, the 2022 numbers are available through June, providing an interesting overview of the kinds of...
Investing is risky. As an investor, you shoulder most of the risk, and there are no guarantees that you’ll see a return on your investment. Even losing money due to a financial advisor’s bad advice isn’t enough to take legal action as long as they follow government...
Disputes between financial advisers and their employers are often complex. Broker-dealer and registered investment adviser (RIA) firms often entice financial advisers to join their organizations through sign-on bonuses and opportunities for higher earnings. That’s...
If you believe that a broker or brokerage firm has treated you unfairly, you may have a claim for money damages. Depending on your exact situation, you may wish to seek damages in arbitration through the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). FINRA is a...
When you’re ready to invest, the advisor you choose will have a big impact on how well your investments perform. How do you know you’re choosing someone qualified, legitimate and honest? Here are five questions you can ask to get through the marketing fluff: Are you a...
In part 1 of this post, we described self-directed individual retirement accounts (SDIRAs) and how they differ from traditional individual retirement accounts (IRAs), including ROTH IRAs. Broadly, traditional IRAs invest in conventional products like stocks, mutual...
On Nov. 19, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act using the budget reconciliation process. Reconciliation rules would allow the Senate to follow suit with a simple majority, which would require every Democrat to say yes to create a...
