Tim O'Connor's Blog

Margin trading involves the purchase of investments, such as stocks and mutual funds, in an existing investment account, using leveraging, i.e. monies borrowed against other existing investments in your investment account.  Investors who purchase additional investments on margin are charged margin interest for the amount of the funds borrowed and can also expose themselves to […]

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has issued a number of notices and opinions designed to protect small investors from confusion when dealing with stockbrokers and financial advisors working out of retail bank branches. In the past decade, many hometown branch banks have expanded their sales operations to include the sales of investments such as […]

One of the most common profiles of investor victimization involves individuals who have received sizable monetary awards or settlements in personal injury actions.  Oftentimes, individuals in this situation lack the experience or resources to find honest and confident financial advice, leaving them open to victimization by unscrupulous financial advisors looking to trade the accounts of […]

In the past ten years, a number of large upstate banks have aggressively pursued the sales of speculative variable annuity, trust services, and investment product sales to bank depositors, who had formerly been invested primarily in safe certificates of deposit and other cash-nominated investments.  Unfortunately, many bank depositors are lulled into a false sense of […]

We have been representing a number of hardworking individuals approaching retirement age, who have been convinced to place a significant portion of their life savings in shady private placement investments.  Private placements are generally illiquid and unmarketable investments usually designed for high net worth individuals.  Investors in private placements are generally required by Regulation D […]