Understanding the Tumultuous Regulatory Record of Cadaret, Grant & Company

Hello there, I’m Emily Carter, a financial analyst and writer with a keen eye on how firms perform under regulatory scrutiny. Today, let’s peel back the layers of Cadaret, Grant & Co., a Syracuse-based broker-dealer and investment advisory firm, to reveal a series of troubling regulatory indiscretions that have come to light over the years.

An Ugly Surprise: The Ponzi Scheme Revelation

Picture this. It’s a warm summer in 2020, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)—a diligent watchdog of the securities industry—unveils a startling Ponzi scheme tied to Cadaret Grant. Found to be seriously neglectful in supervising one of their brokers involved in the sham, the firm was slapped with a hefty $200,000 penalty that undoubtedly rocked its standing.

Between April 2014 and March 2017, Cadaret Grant’s lax oversight permitted this fraudulent scheme to flourish. Shockingly, this wasn’t a one-off mishap. In fact, it was the second time since 2012 that Cadaret Grant faced FINRA’s wrath for failing to reign in rogue sales practices.

The Lingering Shadow of Oversight Failures

You would hope that one wake-up call would prompt significant change, but sadly that was not the case. Cut to September 2018, and FINRA once again fined the firm—this time a staggering $800,000—for a range of oversight failures. This sanction addressed the company’s inability to create an effective supervisory system, despite only assigning three individuals the monumental task of monitoring the activities of over 676 representatives in 450 branches. Truly astonishing, right? This wasn’t their initial brush with the law, either.

Financial Follies: Misleading Investors

Let’s cast our minds back to June 2017. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) discovered Cadaret, Grant & Co.’s subtle infringements of federal securities laws. The firm had kept investors in the dark about conflicts of interest concerning mutual fund shares and retaining fees from those who terminated their advisory contracts early. This blunder cost them over $3 million, intended to reimburse the affected clients.

Exploiting Vulnerability: Preying on Senior Citizens

It’s a sad truth that in 2012, Cadaret Grant was implicated in dubious sales practices that targeted senior citizens. FINRA imposed a $200,000 fine and demanded investor restitution, shining a spotlight on the firm’s problematic sales of variable annuities to older clients.

The Stark Reality of Individual Broker Malpractice

Beyond these company-wide scandals, individual representatives at Cadaret Grant have been caught engaging in broker misconduct. Take, for example, the former financial advisor Steven Pagartanis, who was sentenced in January 2020 to a 170-month prison term after perpetrating a $9 million fraud, primarily targeting elderly, single women.

At its core, the role of broker-dealers and investment advisory firms like Cadaret Grant involves a paramount duty to their clients. They must establish and maintain robust measures to oversee their representatives and protect client assets. Without such vigilance, trust erodes and investors endure needless hardship.

Due Diligence is Paramount

It was Warren Buffett who sagely noted, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” This sentiment rings especially true within the financial advisory world, where trust is the bedrock of any successful client-advisor relationship. It’s also a world where bad financial advisors can prove costly – studies suggest that fraud by advisors costs their clients over $17 billion annually.

To safeguard against such risks, investors should regularly check the FINRA BrokerCheck record of any advisor they consider hiring. For your convenience, here’s a direct link where you can enter an advisor’s FINRA CRD number to see their regulatory history, including any sanctions or fines.

The takeaway for you is simple: always perform thorough due diligence on financial advisors and firms, and remember that every single sentence of their history can tell a crucial part of their story. Educate yourself, ask hard questions, and be vigilant about where your money is going. Trust is earned through consistency and transparency, not just returns.

There you have it—a brief dive into the rough waters of Cadaret, Grant & Co’s regulatory history. As a vigilant financial analyst, I’m here to ensure that information like this is not only accessible but also understandable, so investors like you can make informed decisions. Navigate wisely, and your financial voyage can be smooth sailing.

Disclaimer: The information herein is derived from public sources and is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Legal matters may have subsequent developments, and market values may fluctuate. While we strive for accuracy, we make no representations about the completeness or reliability of this information. Readers should independently verify all content and seek professional advice as needed.
Scroll to Top