Pass the FINRA Uniform Securities State Law Series-63 Questions and answers with CertsForce

Cal has done nothing unethical if his recommendation that a client sell his shares in the Alpha Fund and buy shares of the Omega Fund is due to the fact that the Alpha Fund has been performing poorly relative to other funds in the same category. While past performance is no guarantee of future performance, a client may not want to hang on to a fund that isn’t returning as much as its competition.

As defined by the Uniform Securities Act, an exempt security is one that need not be registered in the state in which it is sold. Selections A and D describe exempt transactions. Although securities issued by financial institutions, such as banks, are exempt securities, not all securities that a bank purchases and sells qualify as exempt securities. Private placements may also be exempt transactions, but there are other stipulations that must be met.

An agent selling a Massachusetts general obligation bond can legitimately tell the investor that the interest income he receives from the bond will be free from federal taxation. It is not, however, a risk-free investment. States may default on their bond issues, and bonds issued by states are not guaranteed by the federal government.

It is only permissible for an investment adviser to borrow money from a client if that client is in the business of loaning money, as would be the case if the client is a bank, but not if the client is merely a close friend of the majority owner of the investment advisory firm.

Under the guidelines of the BSA, the Treasury Department now requires broker-dealers to obtain and keep information relating to clients that make or receive funds transfers that involve $3,000 or more. If the transaction is a cash transaction over $10,000, the same rules apply, and a Currency Transaction Report must be filed with FinCEN. Under the USA Patriot Act, if the broker-dealer thinks that a transaction of $5,000 or more is suspect, the broker-dealer must file a suspicious activity report (SAR.)

An Administrator may not deny, suspend, or revoke the license of a person simply because the applicant has never before worked in the securities industry if that person has received the training necessary. The Uniform Securities Act specifically states that the order cannot be entered “. . .solely on the basis of lack of experience if the applicant or registrant is qualified by training, knowledge, or both.”

Regulation S-P was enacted by the SEC to deal with identity theft. The law requires financial institutions to provide their clients with a statement of its privacy policies and practices and prohibits the disclosure of nonpublic personal information about even a prospective client to a nonaffiliated third party unless certain conditions are met, including giving the client or prospective client the right to opt out of the disclosure.

No, Joe cannot take his client’s offer of a loan because it could lead to a conflict of interest--if not today, perhaps in the future--and as a fiduciary Joe will be expected to put this client’s welfare ahead of his own. If it takes him a lot longer than expected to get on his feet again, he may be tempted to act in his own best interest.

As an employee of Giant Investment Advisers who provides investment advice to clients, Jack Bean is an investment adviser representative. Giant is the investment adviser. Agents are employed by broker-dealers.

Neither SecureMoney Broker-dealers nor Erin must register as an investment adviser based on the facts provided since neither the broker-dealer nor Erin is receiving any compensation for the advice Erin is giving Mrs. McTurk. In this instance, the advice provided is considered incidental to the broker-dealer business.