Tim O'Connor's Blog

A feature article of the Albany Times Union dated Sunday, September 18, 2011, entitled “Investors Left Adrift in Scam Case,” portrayed the stories of a number of victims of McGinn, Smith who have lost a substantial portion of their life savings.  As indicated in this article, most of what is left of their purported private placement investments […]

Since the financial crisis of 2008, the volatility of the financial markets, particularly the fixed-income investments and bond markets, have left many senior citizens with devastating losses.  Concentrated positions in bonds with inferior or “junk” bond ratings have left many senior citizens with devastating financial losses they will never make up in their lifetimes. Changes […]

In the past 10 years, dozens of Chinese corporations have found a back-door way of selling their shares to the American public through reverse mergers with nearly-defunct or thinly-capitalized American corporations, having previously established share listings with the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ stock market. Many of these Chinese-based corporations maintain their managerial, […]

Numerous civil complaints filed with the Office of Dispute Resolution of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) reveal that a number of retirees from National Grid/Niagara Mohawk have fallen prey to improper investment sales tactics by financial advisors and stockbrokers.    Notably, thousands of qualified retirees from National Grid/Niagara Mohawk are offered the choice of either […]

The past several years has seen a spike in the value of silver and gold.  This rise in the price of silver and gold bullion and silver- and gold-based mutual funds, certificates, and exchange-traded funds has been accompanied with a drastic increase in improper selling practices of these silver- and gold-related investments.  The average small […]