The stock market has been on a rollercoaster, and many investors—especially retirees—have seen their portfolios endure serious declines. Even Warren Buffett, one of the most respected investors in history, has been selling off stocks and reducing risk exposure. If a legendary investor like Buffett is pulling back, it raises an…
If you’re a retiree or nearing retirement, the latest market downturn may have shaken your confidence in your investments. Watching your portfolio take a hit right before retirement is more than frustrating—it can be devastating. At this stage in life, you don’t have decades to recover from financial losses like…
Despite the weight that a FINRA Bar carries in the financial services industry, investigations show that barred financial professionals have had little trouble remaining employed in the financial services industry. Financial Advisor IQ, along with its sister publication Life Annuity Specialist, is conducting investigations into individuals barred by FINRA who…
The alarming stock market decline on Monday, August 5, 2024, is a stark reminder of how important it is to plan for your future by educating yourself on the steps you can take to protect your assets, and how your financial advisor should be handling your account. Financial advisors must…
June 15 is recognized as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. It was initiated by The International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and is recognized by the United Nations. Elder abuse is defined as any act or neglect where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm to…
Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI), which was instituted in June 2020, dramatically changed the relationship between broker-dealers and retail investors. Prior to Reg BI, broker-dealers owed a duty to investors to only recommend securities that the broker-dealer believed to be “suitable” for a particular investor based on such investor’s investment…
On May 13, 2024, E*Trade’s trading platform was down at market open, which caused its customers to be unable to sign in, halting their ability to buy or sell securities. Many retail investors took social media by storm about the event. If you were locked out of your online brokerage…
On March 18, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) announced that it had settled charges against two registered investment advisers (RIAs) related to false and misleading representations about each RIA’s alleged use of artificial intelligence (AI) in effecting financial services, conduct which the SEC coined as “AI Washing.”…
Can my broker or investment advisor sell me cryptocurrency (“crypto”)? Is it an investment? The answer is not so simple; no, they cannot sell it directly, but they may try to sell it to you indirectly through a fund or private placement. Rest assured, it is still just as volatile…
Today, very few products use asbestos, an abundant and inexpensively produced heat-resistant mineral once common in a wide array of construction materials, auto parts, and firefighter equipment, to name a few. Its use was rampant until studies revealed that asbestos causes various forms of cancer—clearly a defective product, use of…