- August 8, 2023
- Equitable Advisors
Alan Margolies (CRD# 1442195) is a Registered Broker and Investment Advisor at Equitable Advisors, LLC in Woodbury, NJ.
Broker’s Background
Alan Margolies entered the securities industry in 1985 and previously worked for Signator Investors, Inc.; John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company; Hartford Equity Sales Company, Inc; Reliastar Financial Marketing Corp; Nathan & Lewis Securities, Inc.; and A.F Best Securities, Inc.
Current and Past Allegations of Conduct Leading to Investment Loss
According to publicly available records released by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), in July 2023, a customer dispute was filed against Alan Margolies. The allegation states, “the RR (Registered Representative) misrepresented the terms of a VUL (Variable Universal Life Insurance) sold in 2017.” The customer dispute is pending.
In addition, Alan Margolies has been the subject of one other customer complaint, including the following:
- April 2022—“Client alleges the RR misrepresented the terms of a variable life policy sold in 2021.” The customer dispute was denied.
For a copy of Alan Margolies FINRA BrokerCheck, click here.
We Help Investors Recover Investment Losses
Variable universal policies are complex hybrid investment and insurance products. Many investors do not realize that the premium funding may be changed at the election of the issuer and/or the instrument itself may require higher premium contributions over the life of the policy. If those premium demands are not met, the policy will lapse. These policies are attractive to brokers because they do not require active management and generally pay the broker a high commission. If the product is not properly explained to the client, it can have disastrous results.
Financial advisors have a legal and regulatory obligation to recommend only suitable investments that are appropriate for their clients’ needs and objectives. Their employing brokerage firm has a legal and regulatory obligation to supervise the Financial Advisors’ sales practices and dealings with clients. To the extent any of these duties are breached, the customer may be entitled to a recovery of his or her investment losses.
Reasonable basis suitability requires that a recommended investment or investment strategy be suitable or appropriate for at least some investors. Reasonable basis suitability requires an advisor to conduct adequate due diligence so that he or she can determine the risks and rewards of the investment or investment strategy.
Quantitative suitability requires a brokerage firm or financial advisor with actual or de facto control over a customer’s account to have a reasonable basis for believing that a series of recommended transactions – even if suitable when viewed in isolation – is not excessive and unsuitable for the customer when taken together in light of the customer’s investment profile. No single test defines excessive activity, but factors such as the turnover rate, the cost-equity ratio, and the use of in-and-out trading in a customer’s account may provide a basis for a finding that a member or associated person has violated the quantitative suitability obligation.
Customer-specific suitability requires that a member or associated person have a reasonable basis to believe that the recommendation is suitable for a particular customer based on that customer’s investment profile. Among the criteria that a financial advisor must evaluate to satisfy his or her customer-specific suitability obligations include the investor’s age, tax status, time horizon, liquidity needs, and risk tolerance; a client’s other investments, financial situation and needs, investment objectives, and any other information disclosed by the customer should also be considered.
The Wolper Law Firm represents investors nationwide in securities litigation and arbitration on a contingency fee basis. Matt Wolper, the Managing Principal of the Wolper Law Firm, is a trial lawyer who has handled hundreds of securities cases during his career involving a wide range of products, strategies and securities. Prior to representing investors, he was a partner with a national law firm, where he represented some of the largest banks and brokerage firms in the world in securities matters. We can be reached at (800) 931-8452 or by email at mwolper@wolperlawfirm.com.