Geneos Wealth Management, Inc. financial advisor Katrina Barrett (CRD# 5297739) allegedly recommended her clients investment in LJM Capital Preservation and Growth Fund. Barrett has been registered with Geneos Wealth Management, Inc. in Scottsdale, Arizona since 2009.
LJM Partners is an investment management firm that operates the mutual fund LJM Capital Preservation and Growth Fund (NASDAQ:LJMIX). The investment, “seeks capital appreciation and capital preservation with low correlation to the broader U.S. equity market. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests primarily in purchased (aka ‘long’) and sold (aka ‘short’) call and put options on Standard & Poor’s 500 Futures Index (“S&P”). The fund seeks to achieve its investment objectives by capturing gains on options sold on S&P futures contracts that can be purchased (“closed”) at a later date for a lower price than the price realized when originally sold,” according to U.S. News & World Report.
It is alleged that LJM Capital Preservation and Growth Fund was not focused on capital preservation and instead exposed investors to unacceptably high risk of catastrophic loss by not taking appropriate steps to preserve capital in down markets. Investing in volatility-linked products is extremely complex and risky and likely not a suitable and recommended strategy for the average investor.
On February 5, 2018, the S&P dropped 4.6% and LJM Capital Preservation and Growth Fund dropped from $10.34 on February 1 and then $9.82 on February 2 to $1.94 on February 7, a devastating more than 80% loss. As of October 2017, LJM Capital Preservation and Growth Fund had net assets of $768 million. Assuming that the assets were the same in February 2018, investors may have seen $600 million in losses during the first few days of February.
Pursuant to FINRA Rules, member firms are responsible for supervising a broker’s activities during the time the broker is registered with the firm. Therefore, Geneos Wealth Management, Inc. may be liable for investment or other losses suffered by Barrett’s customers.
Erez Law represents investors in the United States for claims against brokers and brokerage firms for wrongdoing. If and have experienced investment losses, please call us at 888-840-1571 or complete our contact form for a free consultation. Erez Law is a nationally recognized law firm representing individuals, trusts, corporations and institutions in claims against brokerage firms, banks and insurance companies on a contingency fee basis.
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