Erez Law is currently investigating Triad Advisors LLC brokers across the country who recommended their clients invest in LJM Preservation & Growth Fund, an alternative mutual fund.
According to the Letter of Acceptance Waiver and Consent (AWC), in December 2021 FINRA censured and fined Triad Advisors LLC $195,000 regarding the brokerage firm’s failure to supervise their brokers’ recommendations of LJM Preservation & Growth Fund. Triad Advisors LLC also agreed to pay $510,256.57 in restitution. Triad representatives sold $2,267,000 in LJM Preservation & Growth Fund to 58 customers.
Between September 12, 2016 to February 1, 2018, Triad failed to reasonably supervise representatives’ recommendations of the LJM Preservation & Growth Fund. FINRA found that Triad Advisors LLC allowed the sale of LJM Preservation & Growth Fund without conducting reasonable due diligence and without a sufficient understanding of its risks and features.
FINRA also found that between March 2014 and January 2019, Triad Advisors LLC failed to obtain the required account information for customers who purchased LJM Preservation & Growth Fund and LJM Partners, Ltd. offerings. Triad Advisors LLC also failed to enforce written supervisory procedures (WSPs) to ensure that information was obtained by the firm.
About LJM Preservation & Growth Fund
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, Triad Advisors LLC may be liable for investment or other losses suffered by its customers.
Erez Law represents investors in the United States for claims against brokers and brokerage firms for wrongdoing. If you 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.
"*" indicates required fields
