SEC confirms bar of Ponzi artist Edward Matthes

SEC confirms bar of Ponzi artist Edward Matthes
Finra, Wisconsin earlier barred the former Mutual of Omaha rep
FEB 04, 2020

The Securities and Exchange Commission has barred Edward Matthes, a former representative with Mutual of Omaha Investor Services, for stealing $2.4 million from 26 customers.

The rep, from Pewaukee, Wisc., was fired by his firm in March 2019. That month, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. barred Mr. Matthes for his theft and for the fraudulent activities surrounding it. In May 2019, Wisconsin barred him from selling securities and insurance.

According to the SEC’s complaint, Mr. Matthes persuaded his customers to invest in what he described as a safe investment that would earn a guaranteed minimum yield of 4% per year. The complaint alleged that the purported investment did not exist and that Mr. Matthes used the $1.4 million his clients invested with him for his personal use.

He allegedly stole another $1 million by making unauthorized sales and withdrawals from his customers’ variable annuities. To cover the fraud, he allegedly created fake account statements and made about $170,000 in Ponzi-like payments to customers.

Latest News

MetLife poll finds high-value home sales are becoming tax-planning events
MetLife poll finds high-value home sales are becoming tax-planning events

A new MetLife survey finds real estate professionals are increasingly steering clients toward tax experts as rising property values leave more sellers facing significant capital gains.

Kestra adds Raymond James recruiter to expand advisor hiring push
Kestra adds Raymond James recruiter to expand advisor hiring push

The independent broker-dealer expands its business development bench with a new recruiter and an internal promotion in the West.

Cerity Partners names Will Peng chief innovation officer
Cerity Partners names Will Peng chief innovation officer

The leading ultra-high-net-worth RIA joins other large wealth firms, including Raymond James and LPL, in creating executive roles focused on artificial intelligence strategy

BlackRock expands Aladdin's private markets benchmarking tools
BlackRock expands Aladdin's private markets benchmarking tools

New Preqin-powered benchmarks add transparency to private equity and credit performance across BlackRock's platforms.

SPONSORED Who builds the income when the pension disappears?

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

SPONSORED Why direct indexing stopped being optional

Direct indexing is on pace to outgrow ETFs and mutual funds. Northern Trust's Ken Lassner explains why the advisors who get it wish they had started sooner.