Las Oficinas Legales de Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. está representando a dos Co-Fideicomisarios de un fideicomiso familiar en un caso de arbitraje FINRA contra United Planners' Financial Services of America y AG Financial asesor Aaron Graham por fraude, incumplimiento del deber fiduciario, negligencia profesional, negligencia y supervisión negligente y encubrimiento fraudulento de la mala conducta de Graham.
Aaron Graham De United Planners' Financial Services Of America A Limited Partner Y AG Financial Tiene 4 Quejas De Clientes Por Supuesta Mala Conducta De Broker.
The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. currently represents two Co-Trustees who filed an arbitration claim against United Planners and Aaron Graham.
Investors who believe they suffered similar losses can speak with an experienced investment fraud lawyer about their potential recovery options.
IMPORTANTE: Estamos proporcionando información sobre las alegaciones de nuestros clientes y la búsqueda de información de otros inversores que hicieron negocios con Aaron Graham y tenía inversiones similares, una estrategia de inversión similar, y una mala experiencia similar para ayudarnos a ganar el caso de nuestros clientes. Póngase en contacto con nosotros en línea a través de nuestro formulario de contacto o llamándonos al (800) 732-2889.
¿Pérdidas de inversión? Podemos ayudarle
Discuta sus opciones legales con un abogado de The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A.
o llámenos al (800) 732-2889.
¿Quién es Aaron Graham, de United Planners y AG Financial?
Aaron Graham (CRD #3167246) is currently registered with United Planners’ Financial Services of America A Limited Partner and associated with AG Financial in Salt Lake City, Utah. Graham has worked in the securities industry for more than two decades and currently holds securities and investment-advisory registrations. Investors who worked with Graham and have concerns regarding their accounts should carefully review their statements, trading activity, margin balances, investment recommendations, and communications.
¿Pérdidas de inversión? Hablemos.o llámenos al (800) 732-2889.
Reclamaciones de los clientes de Aaron Graham
Aaron Graham has been the subject of four reported customer disputes.
Two previously reported customer disputes resulted in settlements, another complaint was denied, and our firm represents investors in another arbitration matter.
The existence of a customer complaint does not by itself establish wrongdoing. Each matter involves separate allegations and circumstances.
Acusaciones actuales contra Aaron Graham
A sample of the allegations made in the previously FINRA reported arbitration claim settlements and/or complaints for investment Previously reported allegations involving Graham have included:
- Forgery
- Comercio no autorizado
- Unsuitable investment recommendations
- Concerns involving variable annuities
- Account-management complaints
Our firm currently represents two Co-Trustees of a family trust in a FINRA arbitration involving United Planners and Graham.
The allegations discussed below are claims made by our clients and have not necessarily been established by a final arbitration award.
1. Introducción
Beginning in approximately late summer 2017, the Claimants allege that Graham, who had discretionary authority to manage their account, implemented a highly speculative strategy involving leveraged investments and substantial borrowing.
The Claimants allege that this strategy was inconsistent with their instructions, financial circumstances, investment objectives, risk tolerance, and brokerage and advisory agreements.
The arbitration asserts claims involving fraud, negligence and breach of fiduciary duty, failure to act in the Claimants’ best interests, unsuitable recommendations, misrepresentations, omissions, misleading statements, and related conduct.
2. Los hechos relevantes
According to the arbitration allegations, the Claimants were a married couple who accumulated substantial savings through a successful family oil-services business.
They allege that they had little experience investing in securities before meeting Graham and relied heavily on his claimed expertise in portfolio management, financial planning, retirement planning, and fiduciary matters.
The Claimants eventually transferred substantial assets into an account managed by Graham on a discretionary basis.
By the end of 2010, Graham allegedly managed approximately $12.5 million of the Claimants’ life savings held in trust.
The Claimants allege that Graham assured them their assets could support lifetime distributions while preserving and modestly growing the trust.
Alleged Shift to a Speculative Leveraged Strategy
The Claimants allege that the investment approach subsequently changed from conservative or moderate management to a highly aggressive strategy.
Beginning in approximately 2017, they allege that Graham engaged in extensive trading involving leveraged exchange-traded products concentrated in sectors including oil, natural gas, and cannabis.
The investments allegedly included leveraged and inverse ETFs whose stated objectives were generally designed around daily performance.
The Claimants allege that these products were held for periods inconsistent with their design and their own conservative-to-moderate objectives.
They further allege that Graham used margin to finance an already leveraged portfolio.
Investors who experience losses after a broker engages in frequent trading may have a potential churning or excessive trading claim depending on factors such as turnover, costs, control over the account, and the investor’s objectives.
Alleged Margin Abuse
According to the arbitration allegations, the Claimants’ margin debit balance eventually exceeded $4.5 million.
The Claimants allege that they did not request margin trading and did not understand until years later that millions of dollars had been borrowed against their portfolio.
Margin can magnify both gains and losses because investors are borrowing against securities already subject to market fluctuations.
Investors who suffer losses because of inappropriate borrowing or forced sales can review information concerning margin call liquidations.
The Claimants allege that the combination of triple-leveraged ETFs and substantial margin caused their portfolio to assume a level of risk far beyond their investment objectives.
They estimate that the speculative trading activity caused millions of dollars in capital losses.
3. The Alleged Wrongful Conduct
The arbitration alleges violations of the Utah Securities Act as well as claims for:
- Fraud
- Incumplimiento del deber fiduciario
- Professional negligence
- Negligencia
- Negligent supervision
- Fraudulent concealment
- Unsuitable investment recommendations
- Misrepresentations and omissions
- Failure to act in the Claimants’ best interests
The Claimants also allege violations of securities-industry standards and their brokerage and advisory agreements.
Alleged Breach of Fiduciary Duties
The Claimants allege that Graham and United Planners acted not only in brokerage capacities but also as investment advisers.
Investment advisers generally owe fiduciary duties requiring them to act in their clients’ best interests and not subordinate client interests to their own.
The arbitration alleges that those duties were breached through conduct including:
- Executing allegedly speculative transactions inconsistent with the trust’s objectives
- Using substantial margin
- Holding leveraged ETFs beyond appropriate periods
- Failing to adequately diversify the portfolio
- Failing to protect trust assets from unreasonable risk
- Allegedly misleading the Claimants regarding the investment strategy
- Continuing an allegedly unsuitable and overleveraged strategy
- Failing to adequately disclose conflicts of interest
The Claimants contend that the portfolio management was inconsistent with what a prudent investment adviser would have done under the circumstances.
Aaron Graham Red Flags & Your Rights as an Investor
Aaron Graham has not admitted the allegations made in the pending arbitration.
Nevertheless, customer disputes involving allegations of unsuitable recommendations, excessive trading, unauthorized activity, leverage, or misrepresentations can provide a reason for current and former customers to independently review their accounts.
Warning signs may include:
- Frequent purchases and sales
- Large margin balances
- Leveraged or inverse ETFs held for extended periods
- Concentrated sector positions
- Investments inconsistent with stated risk tolerance
- Unexplained losses
- Transactions you did not authorize
- Account statements that do not match information supplied by an advisor
- Investments or strategies you do not understand
Brokerage firms also have independent supervisory obligations. When inadequate oversight contributes to investor losses, a potential failure to supervise claim may warrant investigation.
What Should You Do If You Suspect Margin or Leveraged ETF Trading in Your Account?
If you suspect that margin or leveraged ETFs were used improperly in your investment account, preserve your records immediately.
Request complete:
- Brokerage statements
- Trade confirmations
- Margin agreements
- Account-opening documents
- Investment-policy or trust documents
- Emails and text messages
- Advisor performance reports
- Notes concerning discussions with your advisor
Compare your documented investment objectives, liquidity needs, time horizon, and risk tolerance with the actual investments and trading strategy used in the account.
If you did not authorize discretionary trading or margin borrowing, that discrepancy may also warrant investigation.
An experienced securities attorney can analyze trading activity, turnover, margin exposure, leverage, concentration, and resulting damages.
Can I File a FINRA Arbitration Claim?
Many disputes between investors and brokerage firms such as United Planners are resolved through FINRA arbitration.
An experienced FINRA arbitration lawyer can investigate the account, obtain relevant evidence, calculate damages, prepare a Statement of Claim, conduct discovery, and present the investor’s case to an arbitration panel.
FINRA claims are subject to eligibility rules and other legal deadlines, so investors should not delay seeking advice after discovering potentially actionable misconduct.
Mountain West Investors With Similar Claims
The Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. represents investors throughout Utah and the surrounding Mountain West.
In addition to Utah investors, the firm assists those seeking guidance from a Colorado investment fraud lawyer, Arizona investment fraud lawyer, or Nevada investment fraud lawyer.
These states frequently involve many of the same types of securities disputes, including unsuitable recommendations, excessive trading, margin abuse, unauthorized transactions, and investment-adviser misconduct.
¿Perdió dinero a causa de la mala praxis de un corredor de bolsa?
If you lost money because of fraud, negligence, breaches of fiduciary duty, unsuitable recommendations, unauthorized trading, excessive trading, or other actionable securities misconduct, you may have legal options for pursuing recovery.
An attorney experienced in broker-dealer misconduct can investigate both the conduct of the individual financial professional and the brokerage firm’s responsibility for supervising that activity.
The investment fraud lawyers at the Law Offices of Robert Wayne Pearce, P.A. evaluate investor-loss claims nationwide.
¿Perdió dinero a causa de la mala praxis de un corredor de bolsa?
Si ha perdido dinero debido a la negligencia o el fraude de un corredor de bolsa o asesor, la forma más fácil de saber si tiene un caso es llamar a nuestra oficina al 800-732-2889. Nuestros abogados especializados en fraudes de inversión evaluarán su reclamación de forma gratuita y le harán saber si podemos ayudarle a recuperar sus pérdidas.
¿Necesita ayuda legal? Hablemos.or, give us a ring at 833-300-6983.
Presente una reclamación para recuperar sus pérdidas de inversión en United Planners' Financial Services Of America A Limited Partner debido a Aaron Graham
If you have questions concerning United Planners’ Financial Services of America, AG Financial, Aaron Graham, or the management and performance of your investment accounts, contact Attorney Robert Wayne Pearce for a free initial consultation.
Our firm represents investors in claims involving fraud, negligence, fiduciary breaches, unsuitable investment recommendations, excessive trading, unauthorized transactions, margin abuse, and supervisory failures.
Call 866-860-8078 to discuss your potential claim.
