Ask Yourself These Questions before Considering Securities Fraud Litigation

You invested your hard earned money with a stock broker and let her do the legwork. You were told that the risks were low and that you'd see a fantastic return from your investment – or at least a good one. You trusted the process to go smoothly and sat back to reap the rewards of relying on someone with expertise. Sound familiar? We've all been there – putting our trust in someone else's know how. Unfortunately, stock fraud lawyers say that it doesn't always turn out like we imagined.

Securities Fraud: Who Had Control Of Your Accounts? If you didn't realize that fantastic, or even good, return, but ended up losing money, how do you know if you should file a securities fraudclaim against your broker or brokerage firm? The answer is that it can be a fine line at best. Therefore, it's important to first ask yourself these questions:

  • Who was controlling the account – you or your broker?
  • How much were you relying on your broker?
  • Who was really making decisions about the account?
  • What did your broker tell you – and when?

However, investors also need to be honest with themselves. If you're in a tumbling market that is down 25% and you lost 10%, you don't have a case because the losses you suffered probably were just the result of the market and not due to broker misconduct. Hence, more questions:

  • Did the broker warn me about these losses?
  • Did she tell me that I was taking a risk being in these, making these investment choices?
  • Did she tell me about a wide range of services, but I'm actually the one who decided to go this route?

Securities Fraud Litigation: The Importance Of Keeping Your Own Records

It goes without saying that keeping your own records can be of vital importance when it comes to filing a securities fraud claim. What transpired in a meeting or a phone conversation one or two years ago will be difficult to prove without some record. In the same vain, make sure to keep any informational materials that your broker may have given you about your investments, because, according to securities fraud attorneys, the more information you have, the better off you'll be.

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