Doug Cornelius on compliance for private equity real estate
I know some people kick off their New Year’s resolutions with a plan to read more books. Here are few of my favorites from 2025. 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in History–and How It Shattered a Nationby Andrew Ross Sorkin If you’ve enjoyed anything by Mr. Sorkin, you’ll certainly enjoy his latest book on the…
I hope that 2026 will be a better year than 2025 and that your compliance program remains compliant. My platform has been dealing with technical issues off and on through 2025. In part, that’s why there have been fewer stories this year. I spent my holiday week dedicating some time to overhaul everything, switching some…
Legend has it that Joseph P. Kennedy Senior pulled out of the stock market in 1929 when a shoe shine boy started giving him stock tips. What to do when your driver starts giving investment advice? Shahin Ahmed was the personal driver of a hedge fund manager. According to the SEC complaint, Mr. Ahmed met…
I was left scratching my head on how this Atlanta case got so bad for the real estate investor. In March 2022, OFAC added a family member of a Russian oligarch to its sanctions list. This person owned property in Atlanta, Georgia. All dealings in that property, including its transfer, sale, or foreclosure, were blocked…
As Matt Levine says, “Everything is Securities Fraud“. Michael G. Hull, Christopher J. Nohl, Greenpoint Asset Management II LLC, Chrysalis Financial LLC, Bluepoint Investment Counsel LLC, Greenpoint Tactical Income Fund LLC, and Greenpoint Rare Earth Trading Account LLC all got sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission for securities fraud back in 2020. The heart of…
After 43 days of being forced out of the office, the Securities and Exchange Commission has re-engaged its motor and is taking action. I found something in my inbox this morning that I haven’t seen for those 43 days: an administrative order from the SEC. In the scope of things it’s fairly minor. RespireRx Pharmaceuticals…
On September 17, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission each voted to further extend the date for investment advisers to comply with amendments to Form PF to Oct. 1, 2026. The Form PF amendments were adopted in February 2024 and the original compliance date was March 12, 2025. The compliance…
You create a useful trading model. Get the firm to start using it, then tweak it so you get more compensation. Sounds like a good way to get rich… and to get in trouble. Jian Wu is finding out. The Department of Justice filed wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering charges against him for…
An investment adviser always has a conflict of interest. An adviser should never say there are no conflicts.You take money from your client for fees. ConflictYou get paid differently depending on the client asset. ConflictYou get paid distribution fees: Conflict If you put in an advertisement that you have no conflicts, an SEC examiner will…
On August 7, 2025, President Trump issued an executive order titled “Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(k) Investors.” The order asks the relevant federal agencies to clarify the obligations of Employee Retirement Income Security Act plan fiduciaries when considering alternative assets as potential investment options for defined contribution plans. So private funds may end…