Primer

Cryptocurrency Primer

Cryptocurrency – An Introduction

Cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that is secured by cryptography, making it difficult to counterfeit or double-spend. Cryptocurrencies use decentralized technology for secure peer-to-peer transactions that are recorded on a public ledger known as a blockchain. There are currently over 8,000 cryptocurrencies in circulation, with new ones being […]

securities arbitration
Arbitration Primer

What is Securities Arbitration?

Securities arbitration has become the most often-used method of resolving disputes in the securities industry. Since the late 1970’s,  FINRA and its predecessors have required brokerage firms and stock brokers into securities arbitration to resolve their disputes with each other, and with their customers. That requirement led to brokerage firms […]

FINRA Brokercheck
Arbitration Investors Primer

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 […]

SEC Custody Rule Violations
Other Primer

Can The SEC Bring Criminal Charges?

While the SEC has extremely broad investigative and enforcement powers, it cannot file criminal charges. It can, and often does, work with the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Office to bring those charges. The SEC and the DOJ often work together, with the SEC sending its more […]

Investors Primer

What is a Ponzi Scheme

A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation where the operator, an individual or organization, pays returns to its investors from new capital paid to the operators by new investors, rather than from profit earned by the operator. Operators of Ponzi schemes usually entice new investors by offering higher returns […]