SEC Investor Bulletin: "How to Check out Your Financial Professional"

The SEC Office of Investor Education and Advocacy issued an investor bulletin to provide investors with resources for checking the backgrounds of financial professionals. The SEC recommended that, before an investor becomes a "customer," he or she should take the time to look at the registration status and background of any firm or financial professional.

With available records from SEC, FINRA and state securities regulators, an investor should be able to find out whether the individual is currently registered or licensed or has been suspended, as well as their qualifications and employment history.

In the Investor Bulletin, the SEC outlined various resources that investors can consult in order to find information on financial professionals, including:

• FINRA's BrokerCheck Program;
• the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure Web site; and
• State Securities Regulators.

See: SEC's Investor Bulletin: "How to Check out Your Financial Professional."