Self-Directed IRAs: A Gateway to Financial Empowerment? Many investors believe that using a self-directed IRA will give them greater control over their retirement savings and greater potential profits. As financial professionals are aware, unlike traditional IRAs, self-directed IRAs empower account holders to diversify their investment portfolios by venturing beyond the […]
Investors
What Is FINRA
FINRA is the Financial Industry Regulatory Association and is the successor to the National Association of Securities Dealers. FINRA is authorized by Congress to regulate and oversee the broker-dealer industry, ensuring that it operates fairly and honestly. It oversees over 4,000 brokerage firms and more than 600,000 brokers across the […]
What Happens If I Ignore an SEC Subpoena?
Anyone who follows our blog or website knows that the SEC Enforcement Division is getting tougher on financial firms, investors, and issuers. When you are served with an SEC subpoena, you know that they are not fun to deal with. But you must deal with it. Even if you don’t know or didn’t commit a […]
What is FINRA
FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Association, is the successor to the National Association of Securities Dealers and is authorized by Congress to regulate and oversee the broker-dealer industry, insuring that it operates fairly and honestly. It oversees over 4,000 brokerage firms and more than 600,000 brokers across the country—and analyzes […]
IRS Delays Rule For Reporting Venmo, Etsy, Airbnb Payments
New York CNN — Anyone getting paid for their goods and services through apps like Venmo, PayPal or CashApp, or platforms like Etsy and Airbnb, just got a reprieve from the IRS. Following concerns expressed by the tax community, the electronic transactions industry and some lawmakers, the IRS said Friday […]
SEC Charges Eight Social Media Influencers in $100 Million Stock Manipulation Scheme Promoted on Discord and Twitter
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against eight individuals in a $100 million securities fraud scheme in which they used the social media platforms Twitter and Discord to manipulate exchange-traded stocks. According to the SEC, since at least January 2020, seven of the defendants promoted themselves as successful […]
SEC Adopts Amendments to Modernize Rule 10b5-1 Insider Trading Plans and Related Disclosures
On December 14, 2022 the SEC adopted amendments to Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and new disclosure requirements for plans adopted pursuant to the rule to enhance investor protections against insider trading. The amendments include updates to Rule 10b5-1(c)(1), which provides an affirmative defense to insider […]
SEC Proposes Rule to Enhance Competition for Individual Investor Order Execution
Dec. 14, 2022 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today proposed a rule that would require certain orders of individual investors to be exposed to competition in fair and open auctions before such orders could be executed internally by any trading center that restricts order-by-order competition. Individual investors use marketable […]
AT&T Settles SEC Charge of Selectively Disclosing Material Information to Wall St. Analysts
Dec. 5, 2022 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that AT&T agreed to pay a $6.25 million penalty and three company executives agreed to pay $25,000 apiece stemming from charges brought in March 2021 related to the company’s selective disclosure of material nonpublic information to research analysts in violation of […]
SEC Charges Vika Ventures and its CEO in $6 Million Fraudulent Offering
Dec. 7, 2022 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against venture capital firm Vika Ventures LLC and its CEO and co-founder, George Iakovou, with fraudulently offering and selling more than $6 million of securities to at least 46 individual investors in multiple states including California, Georgia, and […]