Is The SEC “Kicking and Mutilating The Corpse”?

I have a written a few stories on the SEC’s case against Louis Schooler and his firm, Western Financial Planning Corp. The Securities and Exchange Commission brought charges against them for a real estate investment scheme. Schooler was selling general partnership interests that owned real estate using what looked like inflated valuations. By default general … Read more »

So It’s a Security, But Maybe the Private Placement Was Okay?

The tale of Western Financial Planning Corporation and Louis Schooler first caught my eye because the Securities and Exchange Commission brought charges against a real estate company. I stuck with the story because Western Financial tried really hard to structure the investments to avoid being considered securities. Even thought it tried really hard, a court … Read more »

FINRA Guidance on Private Placements

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority released Regulatory Notice 10-22 reminding registered firms about their obligations regarding suitability, disclosures and other requirements for selling private placements to customers. A Broker-Dealer that recommends a security is under a duty to conduct a reasonable investigation concerning that security and the issuer’s representations about it. This is true regardless … Read more »