Promissory notes and Ponzi schemes are the leading products or schemes that are likely to trap investors in 2020, according to the North American Securities Administrators Association.
Filling out the top five likely investor traps are real estate investments, cryptocurrency-related investments and social media/Internet-based investment schemes, NASAA said in a release.
The organization of state and provincial securities regulators in the United States, Canada and Mexico, said its top-five list is based on investor complaints, ongoing investigations and current enforcement trends.
The most common telltale sign of an investment scam, said Christopher W. Gerold, NASAA president and chief of the New Jersey Bureau of Securities, is an offer of guaranteed high returns with no risk, who noted that many of the threats facing investors involve private offerings, which are exempt from federal securities registration requirements and are not sold through public stock exchanges.
Kenneth Leech pleaded guilty in June to one obstruction charge, and could face six to 12 months in prison.
Launch of Direct AI follows a model portfolio tie-up with Envestnet as advisors juggle AI adoption and private-market due diligence.
Meanwhile, Cetera's streak of Commonwealth recruitment continues in Washington, and an LPL advisor hops over to Raymond James in Maine.
The Sussex County wealth firm, built around business-owner clients, extends the California-based aggregator's footprint in the East Coast.
The Kestra-owned RIA acquirer merges the planning firm into KDI Wealth Management, creating a majority woman-led advisor team
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