SEC Advisor Search Basics

Who can you search on?

The United States Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) provides a searchable database with detailed information on three kinds of investment advisers:

  • Investment Adviser Representatives (IARs)
  • Investment Adviser Firms
  • Exempt Reporting Advisers

What kind of information do you get?

The Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD) database provides information on registered investment advisers (e.g., number of employees, size of investments, contact information).

More importantly, the database also provides information on whether they have been involved in a potentially negative event:

  1. The subject of a final regulatory event.
  2. Convicted of or pled guilty or no contest to a crime.
  3. The subject of a civil injunction or civil court finding involving a violation of any investment-related statutes or regulations.
  4. A respondent or defendant or the subject of an arbitration or civil litigation which resulted in an award, decision, or judgment for a customer that has been reported on a registration form.

Click this button to go to the SECโ€™s site and begin searching on investment advisors.

Search Financial Advisors on the SEC Site

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