George Heckler, whom the Securities and Exchange Commission in March charged with operating a decade-long $20 million investment adviser fraud, was sentenced in a parallel criminal case to 63 months in prison.
The criminal charges against Heckler stem from the same misconduct alleged in the SEC's complaint, which charged that Heckler formed two private hedge funds, Cassatt Short Term Trading Fund and CV Special Opportunity Fund, to conceal massive losses incurred by another fund he controlled.
From 2009 through 2019, according to the complaint, Heckler, whose firm was based in suburban Philadelphia, raised millions of dollars while falsely telling investors that their funds were used in very short-term equity trading that consistently generated positive returns. Instead, the complaint alleges that a substantial amount of the money was not invested at all or had been used to make Ponzi-like payments to prior investors.
The SEC's litigation against Heckler is ongoing.
Merrill's latest hires span Colorado to Louisiana, even as industry-wide recruiting data suggests the firm is losing almost as many advisors as it gains.
The $36 million buy allegedly hid inflated books and a $50 million diversion.
“An award citing emotional distress is very unusual,” an industry executive said.
New EBRI research found workers who participated in employer financial education reported higher confidence, literacy and financial satisfaction.
Beyond operational excellence, the winning advisors of the future are the ones who can reach across multiple disciplines without discarding specialist skills.
Northern Trust’s Ken Lassner shows advisors how to convert volatility into after-tax portfolio gains
Dan Biagini of American Equity says the steady decline of pensions, longer lifespans and a reset in interest rates are rewriting how advisors build retirement income
