David Neuman

If you have lost money investing in a PONZI scheme run at the recommendation of a Financial Advisor, please call us at (720) 599-3505 or (206) 795-5798 for a free evaluation of your case or visit us at www.israelsneuman.com.

Many people have heard of the “Ponzi” Scheme because of scammers like Bernie Madoff and Allen Stanford. However, most people aren’t aware that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of Ponzi schemers that run these schemes throughout the country, albeit on a smaller scale. However, Ponzi Scheme victims are just as financially devastated as many of the victims in the Madoff or Stanford schemes, if not more.

A Ponzi scheme is a type of investment scam where the schemer (sometimes a licensed financial advisor or stockbroker) uses funds from one investor to pay off another investor. The schemer often uses money from new investors to pay off previous investors, usually referring to these payments as “interest” or “dividends”, giving the investor a false sense of security that their investment is safe and generating income. Moreover, the schemer often uses investor money to fund a lavish lifestyle instead of investing the money as promised. Eventually, when the schemer is unable to secure additional funds from new investors, the money dries up, the scheme collapses, and investors are left with substantial losses.

Unfortunately, many Ponzi Scheme victims are solicited into these bogus investments by their financial advisor or stockbroker. In some cases, the victims may be able to sue the brokerage firm that the advisor works for or is affiliated with, because brokerage firms have a duty to reasonably supervise the activities of their brokers under FINRA Rule 3110 (and former NASD Rule 3010). If the brokerage firm fails to adequately supervise their advisor, they may be liable to the investor for their losses.

Our attorneys have represented hundreds of Ponzi scheme victims throughout the country

If you are an investor from Washington or Oregon that has been wronged by your financial advisor, investment advisor, stockbroker or brokerage firm, please CONTACT US at 206-795-5798 to set up a Free case evaluation in our Bellevue or Vancouver, Washington offices.

If you have lost money due to an unsuitable variable annuity investment, please call us at (720) 599-3505 or (206) 795-5798 for a free evaluation of your case or visit us at www.israelsneuman.com.

If you lost money due to an unsuitable investment, please call us at (720) 599-3505 or (206) 795-5798 for a free evaluation of your case or visit us at www.israelsneuman.com.

Whether or not a particular investment is a suitable investment is determined by balancing the risk and type of investment with the investor themselves and their investment objectives.

Some, but not all, of the factors that can be considered with determining whether an investment or an investment plan is suitable for a particular investor can include:

1. the age of the investor;
2. the financial wherewithal or the overall means of the investor;
3. the investment goals of the investor;
4. the liquidity of the investor; and,
5. the investor’s future earning capacity.

Unsuitable investments happen often, and sadly, they often happen with individual’s retirement accounts. For example, if an individual investor’s goal is retirement and stability, their accounts should not be invested in speculative equities. If that same investor is 70 years old and unable to make up for losses through future work, the unsuitable investment claim might be even stronger.

If you have suffered investment losses due to unsuitable investments made and/or recommended on your behalf, you may be able to recover damages through a lawsuit or arbitration.

Israels & Neuman PLC is an investment loss law firm that represents investors in FINRA arbitration proceedings and in courts around the country; we can help you recover retirement account losses.

All of our investment loss cases are taken on a contingent basis, meaning that we do not get paid unless we recover money for you.

The attorneys at Israels & Neuman handle a variety of different cases related to the sale and mismanagement of investments and securities. Whether you have lost money due to misrepresentations about a particular investment, inappropriate or unsuitable investments made on your behalf, fraud, or theft, our experienced attorneys can help you recoup your losses. Most of our securities and investment fraud cases are handled in FINRA arbitration.

We handle cases involving broker misconduct, such as breach of fiduciary duty, making unsuitable investments recommendations, failing to diversify investments, or negligence in managing your investment portfolio. We also handle cases where investors have had their money stolen by advisors or have been victims of fraud in the sale of securities and other investments.

Our attorneys can handle cases in state and federal courts around the country. We can also represent our clients in FINRA arbitration proceedings.

We are a securities arbitration law firm with offices in Denver, Colorado and in the Seattle, Washington-area; however, we represent clients in all 50 States.

Our lawyers handle securities and financial arbitration cases on a contingent or contingency fee basis, meaning that we do not get paid unless we recover money for you.

CONTACT US for a free case evaluation.

www.wesuewallstreet.com

ETFs (or Exchange Traded Funds) have become increasingly popular over the last 15 years. ETFs are typically used to track and replicate the performance of an index, such as the S&P 500, the Russell 2000, or the Dow Jones. ETFs are popular, because investors can invest in a basket of securities that provides diversification but with the simplicity of being a single stock.

In recent years, many companies have also created leveraged or inverse ETFs. Leveraged ETFs try to replicate the performance of a particular index, but attempt to replicate the performance by doubling or even tripling the index. As an example, the Proshares Ultra Russell 2000 ETF seeks to double the performance of the Russell 2000 Index.

Inverse ETFs also try to replicate the opposite (or even multiple opposites) of a particular index. For example, Ultrashort QQQ Shares seeks a return of two times the inverse (-2x) of the daily performance of the NASDAQ-100 Index. Leveraged and inverse ETFs can be useful investment tools for investors seeking intra-day trading.

However, inverse and leveraged ETFs are often misused, by retail investors and even financial advisors. The regulators and others have long-warned the securities industry about the dangers of inverse and leveraged ETFs. These are designed to be day-trading vehicles, but often financial advisors recommend holding these ETFs in an investor’s accounts for weeks or even months.

Israels & Neuman PLC is a securities law firm with offices in Denver, Colorado and the Seattle area. We represent investors in FINRA arbitration proceedings in all 50 states. Our attorneys have represented over one thousand investors against many brokerage firms in the past.

www.wesuewallstreet.com