Articles Posted in Blog

In the past 70 years, stocks have risen more than 1,000 fold.

No one can say for certain when stocks will collectively rise or fall. This means there’s never a better time than the present to get in the investment game.

But before you start putting your hard earned money into this risky game, there are a few tips for smart stock investments that you need to know. Keep reading to learn the tips and how they can help you succeed in the stock market.

by
Posted in:
Published on:
Updated:

Understanding Cybersecurity Risks
In today’s digital age, the use of technology to facilitate investments has become largely commonplace. We can see many examples of how investing has moved to the cyber-realm from online investing platforms to robo-advisers. While this has greatly empowered investors to take more direct control over their investment strategy, it has also increased the potential vulnerability to cyber fraud and theft.
“In a digitally connected world, cybersecurity presents ongoing risks and threats to our capital markets and to companies operating in all industries, including public companies…”

While 90% of investors lose money on the stock market, it doesn’t mean that many people lose money forever.

The stock market is cyclical and if you buy at the wrong time, you could immediately lose money. Some people take this stock market loss to heart and withdraw their investment.

Others stay in the game and see their investments go up and down over time. While there is some amount of mystery to which direction stocks will go, paying attention to the many factors that affect value can help mitigate risks.

by
Posted in:
Published on:
Updated:

Industry watchdogs turn their focus on Wells’ wealth-management services

It seems that we may not have yet seen the end of the Wells Fargo accounts scandal. The Justice Department has taken an increased interest in Wells Fargo’s wealth-management unit following whistle-blower claims that the bank’s wealth-management customers have been affected.

According to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article, the Justice Department ordered Wells Fargo to conduct an investigation into the bank’s own wealth-management business, in response to claims of unfair practices. The investigation into any potential wrong-doing is the first focused on services offered by Wells Fargo outside banking, namely its financial and investment advisory business.

Could this be the beginning of the end of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as we know it?

This month The Trump administration, through acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney, announced sizeable restrictions to CFPB’s enforcement and day-to-day oversight of the financial industry’s fair lending practices. The move comes shortly after Mulvaney was installed as Acting Director following the departure of Richard Cordray.

Speculation of the CFPB’s impending dismantlement under the Trump Administration has been swirling since the election and this is just one of the latest in a series of moves pertaining to the CFPB that lends some credence to that speculation.

Bitcoin – Big Coin – Bitcoin – Big Coin…

Read that over a few times. Are those two words beginning to sound similar?

That’s what the founders of My Big Coin, Inc. were hoping when they created their cryptocurrency investment offering. The Nevada-based company has been accused of defrauding investors hoping to cash-in on the recent investment trend.

“Cryptocurrency”, “blockchain”

These are the buzz words among investors as we head into 2018. Building on the success and popularity of Bitcoin – which seems to be hitting new record highs every week – has caused a stir among investors, and it’s getting the attention of businesses.

As investors look to find out how they can invest in the emerging cryptocurrency boom, startups and businesses are trying to find ways to capitalize. Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) have started popping up as opportunities for investors to get involved with cryptocurrency investing at ground-level. However, financial regulators say investors need to be aware of fraud risks.

Investor Tips: A Year in Review

With a new year upon us, we thought we’d look back at the most popular questions investors have been asking over the past year. Here are the most popular investor tips for 2017:

Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs)

Stock ratings are offered by many investment banking groups as a simple way for investors to judge the value of a stock or security. In addition to rating a value of a security, stock ratings typically provide an answer to the question all investors ask: Is it time to buy or sell?

In the case of the recent Citigroup fiasco, investors got mixed messages from the investment bank.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) recently slapped Citigroup with $11.5 million in fines for providing investors with erroneous stock ratings. FINRA’s sanctions find that the investment bank’s faulty stock ratings go back four years. In addition to $5.5 million in fines, Citigroup must also pay out at least $6 million to investors as compensation for investment losses.

Contact Information