Securities Lawyers Blog
Advisor Adam Lunceford (Lunceford), currently employed by LPL Financial LLC. (LPL Financial) has been subject to at least two customer complaints during the course of his career. According to a BrokerCheck report one customer complaint concerns alternative investments such as direct participation products (DPPs) like non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), oil & gas programs, annuities, and equipment leasing programs. The attorneys at Gana Weinstein LLP have represented investors who suffered losses caused by these types of products.
In June 2019 a customer complained that Lunceford violated the securities laws by alleging that Lunceford disregarded the Claimant’s objectives by recommending that he invest more than half his portfolio in illiquid non-traded REITS. The claim alleges $250,000 in damages and is currently pending.
In September 2014 a customer complained that Lunceford violated the securities laws by alleging that Lunceford changed the investment objective for their accounts which resulted in unsuitable trading. The claim was denied by the firm.
DDPs include products such as non-traded REITs, oil and gas offerings, equipment leasing products, and other alternative investments. These alternative investments virtually never profit investors and are almost always unsuitable for investors because of their high fee and cost structure. Brokers selling these products are paid additional commission in order to hype these inferior quality investments providing a perverse incentives to create an artificial market for the investments.