Disputes involving registered investment advisors, broker-dealers, and wealth-management practices often center on suitability, fiduciary or Regulation BI duties, supervision, sales practices, and disclosure. Attorneys retain Esoteric Advisors for independent analysis of advisory and brokerage conduct in customer, advisor, and employment matters.
How we help
- Review investment portfolios and account activity, applying RIA fiduciary standards and Regulation BI to specific case situations, including dual‑registered firms and hybrid business models.
- Analyze and explain the roles and duties of broker‑dealers, investment advisers, and professional or corporate trustees, and how those duties differ under Regulation BI, RIA fiduciary standards, and other regulatory frameworks.
- Assess conflicts of interest and compensation incentives versus prudent product selection, including recommendations involving private placements, hybrid and structured products, alternative investments, and complex insurance products such as captive arrangements, private placement life, premium financed policies, and viatical or life settlement investments.
- Provide expert opinion and testimony regarding risk‑management practices, supervision, compliance, and regulatory oversight, drawing on experience with regulators such as the OCC, SEC, FINRA, the RTC, and various state agencies.
Key advisory & brokerage issues addressed
- Registered investment advisor and registered representative conduct in retail, institutional, and high-net-worth channels.
- Advisor fiduciary duties and Regulation BI compliance in recommendations, advice, and ongoing monitoring.
- Suitability and unsuitable investments, including over-concentration, leverage, and mismatch between products and client objectives, risk tolerance, or time horizon.
- Portfolio construction and monitoring, including diversification, rebalancing practices, and model-portfolio implementation.
- Conflicts of interest arising from compensation structures, revenue-sharing, proprietary/preferred platforms.
- Advisor compensation and incentive structures.
- Disclosure failures, omissions, and misrepresentations.
- Internal investigations and fraud detection efforts involving advisors and wealth teams, including advisor and wealth-team disputes and termination decisions tied to sales practices, suitability, or supervision.