Michael Bruce Winegar – and the firm that employs him or her – is regulated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
If you are like most people, before you go out to dinner at a new restaurant, you probably take a quick look at the reviews. This makes sense; you are going to pay for an expensive dinner, and you need to be sure that you are getting a good value.
Yet, when choosing a financial advisor, many people fail to conduct this same level of due diligence. Before turning over access to your money, you need to be sure that you have found a financial advisor that you can trust. Here, our audit report, including details of allegations, complaints, and sanctions will help you decide whether or not to invest with Michael Bruce Winegar.
The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient… Warren Buffet
BrokerComplaints.com is currently investigating allegations related to Michael Bruce Winegar. We provide a free platform for investors to help them in their claims against negligent brokers and brokerage firms.
About Michael Winegar
Michael Bruce Winegar is an Investment Adviser. Michael Bruce Winegar’s Central Registration Depository (CRD) number is 1232800 and the FINRA Profile can be found at – https://brokercheck.finra.org/individual/summary/1232800.
Click here to download a Detailed Audit Report for Michael Bruce Winegar.
Michael Bruce Winegar has previously been reprimanded and has disclosures and/or client dispute(s) listed at FINRA BrokerCheck.
Accusations and Disclosures
You can find below, a quick snapshot of Michael Bruce Winegar’s regulatory actions, arbitrations, and complaints.
DISCLOSURE 1 –
- Event Date: 1/29/2016
- Disclosure Type: Regulatory
- Disclosure Resolution: Final
- Disclosure Detail :: DocketNumberFDA: 2015045014101
- DocketNumberAAO: 2015045014101
- Initiated By: FINRA
- Allegations: Without admitting or denying the findings, Winegar consented to the sanction and to the entry of findings that while associated with his member firm, Winegar converted $100,000 from an elderly customer and used the funds to repay his family and personal debts, and to trade securities on his own behalf. The findings stated that Winegar enticed an elderly customer into paying him $100,000 and told the elderly customer that he would use the funds to help establish an independent investment advisory firm through which Winegar would supposedly satisfy the debt by providing the elderly customer with free investment advice over the next four years. The findings also stated that Winegar never established an independent investment advisory firm, and at the time of the loan agreement, Winegar was planning on retiring from the securities industry. Shortly after obtaining the $100,000 from the elderly customer, Winegar sold his securities business to another registered representative at his firm and left the securities industry. As part of the sale, Winegar entered into a non-compete agreement that prevented him from providing investment advice to his former customers, including the elderly customer from whom Winegar had obtained the $100,000. The findings also included that Winegar used the elderly customer’s $100,000 for his own personal use, including paying off his daughter’s student loan debt and his own credit card bills. He also used some of the funds to engage in securities trading on his own behalf. FINRA found that Winegar has not repaid any of the funds obtained from the elderly customer.
- Resolution: Acceptance, Waiver & Consent(AWC)
- Sanction Details :: Sanctions: Bar (Permanent)
- Sanction Details :: Registration Capacities Affected: All Capacities
- Duration: Indefinite
- Start Date: 1/29/2016
DISCLOSURE 2 –
- Event Date: 3/29/2012
- Disclosure Type: Customer Dispute
- Disclosure Resolution: Denied
- Disclosure Detail :: Allegations: CLIENT’S DAUGHTER, WITH WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION FROM CLIENT, FILED COMPLAINT WITH OREGON DEPT OF CONSUMER AND BUSINESS SERVICES, DIVISION OF FINANCE AND CORPORATE SECURITIES. COMPLAINT CLAIMS REPRESENTATIVE PLACED UNAUTHORIZED TRANSACTIONS FOR UNSUITABLE INVESTMENTS. THE CLIENT’S DAUGHTER FILED AN ADDITIONAL COMPLAINT WITH FINRA WITH THE SAME ALLEGATIONS. THIS WAS RECEIVED BY THE FIRM ON JUNE 8, 2012. THE CLIENT’S DAUGHTER ALSO FILED A COMPLAINT DIRECTLY WITH THE FIRM LISTING THE SAME ALLEGATIONS, WHICH WAS RECEIVED BY THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT ON JULY, 23, 2012.
- Damage Amount Requested: $201,256.10
- Arbitration Docket Number:
According to a study prepared for the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, 80 percent of American investors report that they have been solicited to participate in a fraud scheme, while 11 percent of American investors report that they personally lost money as a result of fraud.
FINRA notes that the rate of investment fraud is most likely much higher than it is reported. This is because many victims of financial advisor scams are too ashamed to come forward. Further, the study also found that a significant number of investors do not know how to spot common red flags of investment fraud. The least you should do is share your experience with other potential victims of investment scams.
Previous Associations
Under federal securities law and securities industry regulations, registered investment firms have a legal duty to supervise their financial advisors. Section 15(b)(4)(E) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 makes a securities firm liable for the conduct of representatives.
- WEDBUSH SECURITIES INC. (CRD#: 877) :: 9/2/1999 – 12/4/2014 :: SALEM, OR
- DAIN RAUSCHER INCORPORATED (CRD#: 31194) :: 3/2/1998 – 9/28/1999 :: NEW YORK, NY
- DAIN RAUSCHER INCORPORATED (CRD#: 7600) :: 2/5/1987 – 3/2/1998
- PAULSON INVESTMENT COMPANY, INC. (CRD#: 5670) :: 2/13/1985 – 2/19/1987
- WADDELL & REED, INC. (CRD#: 866) :: 2/29/1984 – 3/1/1985
The duty to supervise securities representatives is a strong legal requirement. Registered investment firms must take many different steps to ensure that they are protecting their customers from irresponsible and criminal financial advisors.
Legit or Not?
Unfortunately, stockbroker fraud is more common than many investors would like to think. And yes, stockbrokers (including Michael Bruce Winegar, but not limited to) can (and do) steal money from their clients. While it’s rare that a broker will literally steal his client’s money (though that does happen), typically the “theft” of investment funds comes in the form of other fraudulent violations of securities law and FINRA rules which leads to significant investment losses.
Sometimes investment losses occur because advisors, stockbrokers, and even brokerage firms, commit fraud. Massimo Vignelli
Investors generally understand that there are risks associated with buying and selling securities. The market can go up, and the market can go down. No matter how skilled of an investor you are, there are always risks. With that being said, sometimes investment losses cannot be blamed on simple back luck.
There are 10 major types of complaints we receive against Investment Brokers –
- Outright Theft (Conversion of Funds)
- Unauthorized Trading
- Misrepresentation or Omission of Material Facts
- Excessive Trading (Churning)
- Lack of Diversification
- Unsuitable Investment Recommendations
- Failure to Disclose a Personal Conflict of Interest
- Front Running of Transactions
- Breakpoint Sale Violations
- Negligent Portfolio Management
Do your due diligence before investing. Public records are available for everybody to review and decide on the safest bet.
How to Protect Yourself
We, as citizens, place a great deal of trust in the financial advisors who are tasked with helping us achieve and maintain financial security. Most of the time financial advisors and stockbrokers are honest folks who work diligently in their client’s best interests. However, on occasion financial advisors and the brokerage firms who employ them mess up and cause serious financial harm to their clients. Sometimes these losses are caused by simple negligence. Other times fraud or other serious misconduct is to blame.
Here are 5 signs that your broker needs to be reported –
- Breach of Fiduciary Duty: Under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, certain investment professionals, known as registered investment advisors (RIAs), owe fiduciary obligations to their customers. Your investment broker must always look out for your best interests. If you lost money because of your broker’s breach of fiduciary duty, you may be entitled to compensation for the full value of your damages.
- Unsuitable Investments: Many financial advisors are not fiduciaries. Instead, they are held to the suitability standard. These stockbrokers and financial advisors can only sell and recommend financial products that are appropriate for a customer’s unique investment profile. If you lost money in unsuitable investments, you should consider reporting them.
- Material Misrepresentations or Omissions: Brokers have a duty to make fair and honest representations to their clients. If they fail to do so, and an investor loses money due to a misrepresentation or a material omission, the broker may be liable for the investor’s losses.
- Lack of Diversification: Brokers must also act with the appropriate level of professional skill. Pushing a customer into over-concentrated investments is highly risky. Brokers can be held liable for losses sustained because of an investor’s inappropriate lack of diversification.
- Excessive Trading (Churning): Stockbrokers and financial advisors must have a well-grounded, reasonable basis to execute all trades. Unfortunately, there are cases in which brokers will frequently trade on a customer’s account, simply to increase their own fees. This unlawful practice is known as churning.
- Unauthorized Trading: Brokers must have the proper legal authority to make transactions on behalf of a client. If you lost money because your broker made trades that you never approved of, you may have been the victim of unauthorized trading. You should consult with an experienced attorney.
Report Michael Winegar
In order to prevail in an investment fraud lawsuit or FINRA arbitration cases, you must be able to assert a viable ‘cause of action’.
Michael Bruce Winegar – and the firm that employs this broker – is regulated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). FINRA provides an online form to allow investors to file a formal complaint against their financial advisor, stockbroker, or brokerage firm.
Click here to go to FINRA’s Online Complaint Form →
This form will ask you for specific information related to your complaint. Be prepared by gathering the following:
- Name and symbol for the investment product in question.
- The CRD number (1232800) for the broker – Michael Bruce Winegar
- Your complete contact information.
Remember, it is advised to report your broker to FINRA, only after you have exhausted all of your other remedies and carefully prepared a compelling complaint. Once you file a complaint against your broker at FINRA, your case will be bound by FINRA’s rules and the arbitration panel’s eventual decision. The time clock will start, and your complaint will be served on your broker or broker-dealer.