Feb 10, 2021

What to Do When Your Financial Adviser Fails to Act in Your Best Interest

Is hiring a financial advisor in your best interest? In many cases, it may be when it comes to your investments. According to the SEC, approximately 6 in 10 households in the United States own securities investments. With more Americans investing, there is an increased need for financial advisors who can provide valuable insight into how best to invest and manage your accounts.  A financial advisor acting in your best interest is one of the best assets you can have when it comes to your investments. However, not all financial advisors live up to this standard.  Before you hire a fiduciary to represent your investment interests, it is important to first understand the duties your financial advisor owes you. By doing so, you will be better equipped to recognize when yours may not be acting in your best interest.  If you need help determining whether a financial advisor acting in your best interest and what you can do if they did not, we want to help. The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A., has represented countless defrauded investors who have fallen victim to the actions of their advisors. Investment loss attorney Robert Wayne Pearce has over 40 years of experience handling a broad range of securities and investment disputes. Give us a call today to see what we can do for you. Fiduciary and Financial Advisor: Your Best Interest Is What Matters Most When you hire a financial advisor to provide you counsel regarding your investments, you expect that they will act in your best interest. The relationship between you and your advisor is a “fiduciary” relationship.  This fiduciary relationship requires a financial advisor to act in a certain manner when it comes to their clients’ investments. But what exactly is a “fiduciary duty,” and how do I know if my financial advisor owes me a duty to act in my best interest? We’ll dive into these questions in more detail below.  Fiduciary Duties: An Overview A fiduciary is someone who acts on behalf of someone else. In the investment context, a financial advisor who is hired to provide counsel and advice regarding their investments is a fiduciary. At its core, a fiduciary relationship relies on trust and good faith between the advisor and the client.  Being a fiduciary means that an investment advisor must act in their client’s best interest, putting their client’s needs over their own needs. In short, a fiduciary duty is a legal responsibility owed by the fiduciary (financial advisor) to act in the principal’s (client) best interest.  A fiduciary’s main duties are to: Put the client’s best interests first, ahead of their own; Avoid conflicts of interest or disclose them to the client as soon as they arise; and Act with honesty, good-faith, and loyalty toward the client.  Failure by a financial advisor to act in your best interest may constitute a breach of their fiduciary duty. This can result in serious liability for the advisor. Is Everyone a Fiduciary?  No, not everyone will be considered a fiduciary.  A fiduciary relationship is a special relationship that arises only in specific circumstances. The Investment Advisers Act of 1940 requires only registered investment advisors to abide by fiduciary obligations to act in a client’s best interests. Thus, all investment advisors who are registered with the SEC or a state securities regulator are fiduciaries. Broker-dealers and stockbrokers, on the other hand, are not fiduciaries. The New “Best Interest” Rule: A Replacement for the Suitability Standard Until recently, there was a lower standard of care that applied to most brokers and agents. This was governed by FINRA Rule 2111, otherwise referred to as the “suitability” standard.  Unlike a fiduciary standard of care, suitability required only that a broker-dealer make investment decisions that were “suitable” for his or her client based on the client’s investment objectives. They did not have to put their client’s interests ahead of their own. Further, they were free to recommend products that might benefit themselves, so long as the product was suitable for the client. This changed on June 30, 2020, when the SEC enacted Regulation BI—the Best Interest Rule. Now, regular stockbrokers also have a duty to act in the best interests of their retail clients when making recommendations about their investments. Specifically, Regulation BI imposes four obligations upon broker-dealers and associated persons:  Provide disclosures to customers regarding the relationship at the time of or before making any recommendations;  Exercise due care, or reasonable diligence, care, and skill, in making recommendations to customers;  Establish, maintain, and enforce procedures and policies to address potential conflicts of interest; and  Establish, maintain, and enforce procedures and policies to achieve compliance with Regulation BI.  If you feel your financial advisor or broker has failed to act in your best interest and live up to their obligations, seek help promptly from an experienced attorney. How Do I Know If Someone Is a Fiduciary? The easiest way to know for sure if a financial advisor is a fiduciary is to ask them. You can also check on the SEC Investment Advisor Database for federally registered investment advisor firms. Another way is to ask about an advisor or advisor firm’s pay structure. If an advisor is paid based on commission, he or she is most likely not a fiduciary. Fiduciaries usually work on fees only, so an advisor who advertises that they work on commission may not be acting as a fiduciary. But again, remember that even if your advisor is not a federally registered investment adviser held to a fiduciary standard, they still owe you certain obligations. All stockbrokers now have a duty to act in the best interests of their retail investors when making recommendations regarding their investments. Breach of Fiduciary Duty and What to Do If Your Financial Advisor Doesn’t Act in Your Best Interest A fiduciary breaches his or her duty by acting in their own interest rather than in their client’s interest. Additionally, failure to act in your best interest may give rise to a...

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Jan 14, 2021

Broker-Dealers and Stockbrokers have a Duty to Protect Seniors from Financial Exploitation

Protecting seniors from financial exploitation requires a collaborative effort between the government and financial experts. In general, securities brokerage firms and their stockbroker employees have a fiduciary duty to their customers. FINRA rules also establish a broker-dealer and stockbroker’s responsibility to protect seniors from financial exploitation by others. Unfortunately, the financial exploitation of seniors is a growing problem. If you or a family member believes you were taken advantage of by your stockbroker, investment advisor or another financial professional then you need to speak with a skilled investment fraud attorney right away. Based in Boca Raton, the legal team at the Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A., has years of experience representing clients for various types of investment, securities, and commodities fraud. We have handled hundreds of JAMS, FINRA, and AAA securities mediations and arbitrations for clients across the country and even some international clients. Financial Exploitation Is Elder Abuse According to the National Adult Protective Services Association, financial exploitation is a type of elder abuse on the rise. It covers the abuse of seniors and adults who have disabilities. This type of abuse usually involves trusted people in a person’s life, such as stockbrokers, investment advisors, other financial professionals, trustees, guardians, caretakers, neighbors, family members, and friends. This abuse happens because many seniors simply cannot protect themselves any longer. They are more trusting and relying on others. They are incapable of detecting fraudulent schemes. It is difficult for them to understand the nature, mechanics or risks of investments being offered and sold to them. Many cannot even read or comprehend the account statements or confirmations sent to them. So they allow others to manage their financial affairs and some of those people they trust and rely upon financially exploit them. There are numerous types of investment fraud perpetrated upon seniors. Some of the most common abuses and scams by stockbrokers, investment advisors and other financial professionals include: Getting seniors to allow fraudsters access to and/or management of their bank and/or brokerage accounts; Telling seniors to write personal checks to stockbrokers, investment advisors and other financial professionals to supposedly make investments not available through the brokerage firm; Taking money from seniors in exchange for worthless promissory notes or notes the fraudster has no intention of ever re-paying to the senior; The offer and sale of unsuitable complex structured products, alternative and non-conventional investments for the high commissions paid on those investments; Advising seniors to take out reverse mortgages or equity lines and use the proceeds to trade securities; Other scams that pressure a senior to use the equity from their reverse mortgage or equity line (or other liquid assets) to purchase an expensive variable universal life insurance policy, variable annuity, or indexed annuity with high commissions, high surrender fees, expensive riders and  that may not even mature until the senior is around 90 or 100 years old; Investments or securities schemes, such as Ponzi or pyramid schemes, promising unrealistic returns; Investments involving an unlicensed dealer. Victims of financial exploitation can experience all the same effects as someone who has endured another type of abuse, including depression, loss of trust, and feelings of shame. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Recent rule changes to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) went into effect in February 2018. These significant rule changes help establish additional protections for senior citizens. The two notable changes are FINRA Rules 2165 and 4512. FINRA Rule 2165 The SEC adopted new FINRA Rule 2165, which is the Financial Exploitation of “Specified Adults.” This rule will permit members to place a temporary hold on securities or disbursements of funds from an account when there is suspected financial exploitation. If a financial broker reasonably suspects that there is financial exploitation, then they can withhold disbursement. However, the rule does not create an obligation to stop the disbursement. Instead, it provides the right for brokers to do so. Stockbrokers should be proactive and look for potential abuse, so they can stop it early on, helping protect unsuspecting senior investors from becoming victims. Rule 2165 defines specified adults as particular investors who are most at risk for financial exploitation. That includes the following people: Someone who is 65 years of age or older; and Someone who is 18 and older that the broker has reason to believe has a physical or mental impairment that renders the investor unable to protect their own interests adequately. Brokers also have to know what the rule defines as financial exploitation. One example is the unauthorized or wrongful withholding, taking, use, or appropriation of a specified adult’s securities or funds. Financial exploitation can also be any act or omission made through someone’s guardianship, power of attorney, or any other authority with the purpose of: Converting the specified adult’s assets, money, or property; or Obtaining control of the specified adult’s property, money, or assets through the use of intimidation, deception, or undue influence. Rule 2165 allows a broker to put a temporary hold on suspicious disbursements but not on ones that do not appear to be related to the financial exploitation of seniors. The rule does not apply to transactions in securities, such as a customer’s order to sell their share of stocks. But it could apply to a request by the investor to disburse shares out of their account. FINRA Rule 4512 The SEC also adopted FINRA Rule 4152, which concerns customer account information. Under this amended rule, members must make reasonable efforts to obtain a name and contact information for an investor’s trusted contact person on their account. Investors should have a trusted contact listed whom the stockbroker can reach out to and disclose pertinent information about an account. They can also disclose health status and even ask about the client’s whereabouts if the broker cannot reach them directly. Stockbrokers can get a trusted contact name when opening the account or when updating information for accounts established before the effective date of Rule 4512. The amendment requires the broker to disclose in writing or electronic documentation...

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