Articles Posted in Conflicts of Interest

For years, financial advisers have walked a fine line when receiving financial inheritances from their clients. Unfortunately, the line between an adviser’s professional obligations and their personal interests is very easily blurred­­—a reality that leads to complicated fraud and ethics violations. In this blog post, we’ll look into the legal…

Has a broker or financial advisor asked to be a beneficiary in your will? Financial advisors should not be participating in a client’s estate. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, (D-Nev.), Mike Rounds, (R.-S.D.), Tina Smith, (D-Minn.) and Chris Van Hollen, (D-Md.) recently sent a formal letter to FINRA requesting that the…

The Massachusetts Securities Division has charged Cape Cod investment advisor Francis Weller, Jr. (CRD#: 4852071) and his company, Weller Asset Management, with violating their fiduciary duty to act in their clients’ best interest and failing to disclose conflicts of interest. Weller and his company had an arrangement since 2009 with…

The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association has stated that in 2019, it plans to keep pressure on state officials who consider following Nevada in imposing a higher standard of care on broker-dealers. Leaders of the organization said that after praising a federal proposal that has been in the making…

Karl Ronald Foust, Jr. (CRD #1010291) is a formerly registered broker and investment advisor who was last registered with H.D. Vest Investment Services (CRD #13686) of Boca Raton, FL. His previous employers include Gunnallen Financial, Inc. (CRD #17609) of Delray Beach, FL, Thomas James Associates, Inc. (CRD #15609) and Apple…

What the new code of conduct rule entails and how it could affect elderly investors Up until earlier this year, the Department of Labor had a rule in effect for fiduciaries that specified that they couldn’t earn commissions unless the advice they offered was in the best interests of their…

Former broker James Albert Pettit (CRD #733916), formerly of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. (CRD #6363), was barred by FINRA on 3/26/2018. This is the result of failing to comply with an arbitration award, and providing proof of the compliance. The bar is indefinite, and in all capacities until the award…

Recently there has been a trend in fraud surrounding various types of pensions. Since individuals can receive extensive incomes annually through various form of pensions, this has attracted misconduct by financial advisors and others frequently in the form of high fees and undisclosed conflicts of interest. It is important for…

Wells Fargo has disclosed a federal investigation into sales practice violations in customer 401(k)s after a whistleblower cited sales problems in customer accounts. Multiple potential violations are disclosed including improper referrals, excessive fees and undisclosed conflicts of interest.  In the current bull market, many investors did not appreciate the fees…

Jonathan A. Francis, of Brooklyn, New York, was named a respondent in a FINRA complaint alleging that he assisted third parties who improperly took over $200,000 in cash from customers’ accounts without the customers’ knowledge or consent. Jonathan Francis was previously registered with J.P. Morgan Securities, LLC.  The complaint alleges…