Question 1

Which of the following are accurate statements regarding the minimum financial requirements for investment advisers according to the NASAA Model Rules?
I. Any investment adviser who has discretionary authority over a client's assets, but who does not have actual custody of client funds or securities, is required to maintain a minimum net worth of $10,000 at all times.
II. An investment adviser who requires that a fee of more than $500 from his clients be paid six months or more in advance must maintain a positive net worth at all times.
III. Only an investment adviser who has actual custody of client assets is subject to a minimum net worth requirement, which the NASAA Model Rules specifies is $10,000.

Accepted Answer

Only Selections I and II are accurate statements of the NASAA Model Rules regarding minimum financial requirements for investment advisers. The NASAA rules stipulate that an adviser who has only discretionary authority, but does not take custody of a client's assets, must maintain a minimum net worth of $10,000 at all times. Furthermore, any investment adviser who requires a fee of more than $500 from his clients to be paid six months or more in advance must maintain a positive net worth at all times.

Question 2

Which of the following scenarios does not meet the definition of "custody" under NASAA Model Rules?

Accepted Answer

If an investment adviser is mistakenly sent a client's securities, but returns them to the sender within three business days of receipt, he is not deemed to have taken custody of the securities under NASAA Model Rules. Custody is defined by the NASAA as "holding directly or indirectly, client funds or securities, or having any authority to obtain possession of them." Therefore, an investment adviser who has general power of attorney to withdraw a client's funds or securities from a broker-dealer is acting as a custodian, as is an investment adviser who keeps a client's securities in its safety deposit box. If an investment adviser receives a check from a client that is written to a third party, such as a mutual, that check must be forwarded within 24 hours of receipt, or the investment adviser is deemed to be a custodian.

Question 3

Under the NASAA Model Rules, which of the following must an investment adviser provide its clients with at least once a year?

Accepted Answer

Under NASAA Model Rules, an investment adviser must provide its clients with the total number of agency cross transactions completed for the client during the period as well as the total amount of any commissions or other compensation that the investment adviser received or expects to receive in connection with agency cross transactions performed for the client during the period.

Question 4

A client calls CanDo Broker-Dealers with a market-not-held order to buy 5,000 shares of China Security and Surveillance Technology, Inc. (CSR), which sells on the NYSE, "at a good price today." The stock had opened at $5.13, traded as high as $5.36 during the day, and closed at $5.10. CanDo executed the purchase at a price of $5.31, so at market close, the client had lost $1,050. The client can

Accepted Answer

If a client calls CanDo with a market-not-held order to buy 5,000 shares of CSR, he is leaving the price and timing of the trade to the broker's discretion, and the broker cannot be held responsible if the price turns out not to be optimal after-the-fact. The client still owes CanDo its commissions, and to refuse to pay for the stock on the settlement date would subject the client to criminal penalties.

Question 5

While on vacation in Colorado, Massachusetts resident Ms. Jetset meets Mr. Snow, a registered representative with a Colorado broker-dealer, on a ski lift and accepts a dinner engagement with him later that evening, during which he obtains her cell phone number. A week later, while she is lounging around in her Florida beach condo, he calls and interests her in a local software company that is selling its preferred stock to investors and encourages her to buy it. Ms. Jetset tells Mr. Snow she'll think about it and calls him after she returns to her home in Massachusetts to tell him to buy the stock for her and sends him a check via express mail. Later, Ms. Jetset learns that the preferred stock certificate that she received is-and always was-a worthless piece of paper, and that, in fact, no such company ever existed. Which state Administrator has jurisdiction in this instance?
I. the Administrator of the state of Colorado
II. the Administrator of the state of Florida
III. the Administrator of the state of Massachusetts

Accepted Answer

All three state administrators have jurisdiction since Mr. Snow made the offer to sell from Colorado, to a person who was in Florida at the time, and Ms. Snow accepted the offer and received the certificate in her home state of Massachusetts. According to NASAA, an Administrator has jurisdiction over all offers and all acceptances of offers to purchase or sell securities if they "originate from, are directed to, or are accepted in a state.

Question 6

In which of the following scenarios would the Administrator of a state not have jurisdiction?
I. A monthly newspaper published by a resident of the state who is not a registered investment adviser has a column in which the publisher makes specific investment recommendations for clients who write in for advice. About 80% of the circulation of the publication is to out-of-state residents.
II. An internet blog posted by an out-of-state resident makes investment recommendations.
III. An out-of-state firm solicits buyers for its promissory notes within the state.

Accepted Answer

The administrator of a state would not have jurisdiction in the scenarios described in Selections I and II. In Selection I, more than 2/3 of the circulation of the newspaper is outside the state, which excludes it from the jurisdiction of the Administrator. Selection II describes an electronic communication that originates from outside the state, which excludes it. Selection III constitutes an offer to sell securities within the state, and this will always fall under the jurisdiction of the Administrator of the state.

Question 7

The Administrator of a state can deny an application if

Accepted Answer

The Administrator of a state can deny an application if the application is missing information, if the registrant has been enjoined from engaging in activities involving securities in another state, or if the Administrator determines the applicant is not financially solvent.

Question 8

Ari Gaunt is a registered agent employed by Small &Associates Broker-Dealers. He has been notified of a hearing regarding the revocation of his license for making unauthorized trades on some of his clients' accounts. Which of the following statements is necessarily true?

Accepted Answer

If Ari is found guilty of making unauthorized trades on his clients' accounts and has his license revoked, he can appeal the decision in a court of law if he files the appeal within sixty days. Small & Associates license is not in danger as long as the firm has been providing competent supervision of Ari and its other agents. It will not be required to pay a fine based on Ari's fraudulent activities. Ari may end up with civil and criminal penalties, but the Administrator cannot assess them. Only a court of law can do that.

Question 9

Registered agent Ina Scent has had her license suspended by the state Administrator prior to an administrative hearing on the order. Which of the following statements is true regarding Ina's situation?

Accepted Answer

When Ina receives notice of her license suspension, she can make a written request that a hearing on the issue be scheduled within fifteen business days of her request. She cannot continue working with clients unless the Administrator vacates the order until final determination because her license is still suspended pending final determination. If, after the hearing, the order still stands, Ina can file an appeal of the suspension with a court of law if she does so within 60 days.

Question 10

The maximum monetary civil liability that a person who has violated a securities law can be expected to pay is

Accepted Answer

The maximum monetary civil liability that a person who has violated a securities law can be expected to pay is the original investment + a state-deemed appropriate interest rate + court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees
any income the victim has received on the investment. The monetary liability is reduced by any dividends, interest income, or capital gains the investor may have received. Monetary awards for pain and suffering are not considered.

Question 11

Which of the following conditions is necessary for an act involving securities fraud to be considered criminal and subject to criminal penalties?

Accepted Answer

In order for an act of fraud to be considered criminal, the perpetrator must have willfully committed the fraudulent act. In this case, the Administrator will probably ask the court to impose criminal penalties, but an Administrator can't cause an act of fraud to be criminal by sending it to the criminal court system. If an agent misleads a customer regarding the returns to be expected on an investment but hasn't deliberately done so, it is still fraud, but not criminal fraud, regardless of how much the victims lost.

Question 12

If a person has had its license revoked by the Administrator of the state and has appealed the decision to a court of law, that person

Accepted Answer

If a person has had its license revoked by the Administrator of the state and has appealed the decision to a court of law, that person must notify the Administrator of the state that it has appealed the decision, but that person is considered to have a revoked license until the courts rule otherwise and may not continue "business as usual."

Question 13

The Administrator may require a firm to supply it with any prospectus, pamphlet, advertisement, or other sales literature intended for prospective investors unless the security
I. will be sold only through an investment advisory firm.
II. is a federal covered security.
III. is issued by a state credit union.

Accepted Answer

Only Selections II and III are correct. The Administrator may require a firm to supply it with any prospectus, pamphlet, advertisement, or other sales literature intended for prospective investors unless the security is a federal covered security or is issued by a state credit union, both of which are on a longer list of exempted securities. It doesn't matter whether or not the securities will be sold to clients of an investment advisory firm.

Question 14

In accordance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA), if a prospective client requests to be put on your firm's Do-Not-Call (DNC) list, the client must be kept on that list for

Accepted Answer

If a prospective client requests being put on your firm's DNC list, you must keep that name on your list for 10 years, according to the TCPA.

Question 15

You are a newly licensed agent and are making cold calls to generate business. According to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA), you may only place your calls between the hours of

Accepted Answer

The TCPA mandates that you place your calls only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., based on your prospective customer's time zone. This is a rule that applies to all telemarketers.

Question 16

Nat Smart was employed as an investment adviser representative and sold many of his clients on a municipal bond fund of which he was fond, telling his clients that the returns earned on it were completely free from federal taxation. Unfortunately, he had some unhappy clients when, at the end of the year, they discovered that they had to pay federal tax on the capital gains earned by the fund when it sold some of the bonds it held. Nat was as surprised as they were. Based on these facts, which of the following statements is necessarily true?
I. Because Nat was as surprised as they were, he is guiltless.
II. Nat is subject to civil liability payments.
III. Nat will be subject to the criminal penalties for fraud and may spend time in prison.

Accepted Answer

Only Selection II is an accurate statement. In telling his clients that the returns earned on a municipal bond fund were totally tax-free, Nat misled the clients, whether intentionally or not. This constitutes fraud, and Nat is, at a minimum subject to civil liability payments, so this is "necessarily" true. Whether or not Nat will be subject to criminal penalties for fraud and spend time in prison depends on his ability to prove that he had no knowledge that he was misleading his clients.

Question 17

Under which of the following scenarios can a client legitimately sue a purported professional in the securities industry and expect an award for damages?
I. The securities were sold by an agent whose registration was not yet effective with the state, but who had already applied for registration.
II. The security was a variable annuity, and the sales representative neglected to reveal the details of the surrender clause to the client.
III. The security was the stock of a company, the stock had recently been registered with the state for sale, had been granted registration, and the selling agent had told his client that the security had been state-approved for sale.

Accepted Answer

All of the selections are scenarios describing instances in which a client can legitimately sue a purported professional in the securities industry and expect an award for damages. A client can legitimately sue a purported professional in the securities industry and expect an award for damages if the
agent is not yet effectively registered to effect securities transactions in the state; if the professional has neglected-intentionally or otherwise-to inform the investor of all the relevant information involving the security, such as any surrender clause involved; or if the agent has indicated that a state-registered security has in any way been approved by the state.

Question 18

An investment adviser representative with Capital Investment Advisors, Inc. advised his client to invest $5,000 in bonds of a firm that the adviser claimed was an investment "almost as risk-free as investing in U.S. government bonds; maybe even more so, given the magnitude of the government deficit these days." The client paid a total of $200 for this
Advice. The bonds paid interest at the rate of 6%, with semiannual payments, and the client received $300 in interest payments before the firm went belly-up at the end of a year, and its bonds were deemed worthless. The client has filed suit, and its attorneys' fees and court costs are expected to be $1,000. When the investment is a bond, the state has recently been assessing an interest rate equal to the interest rate paid by the security as an equitable interest payment guideline in civil penalties. The maximum the client can expect in civil penalties is

Accepted Answer

The maximum amount the client can expect in civil penalties in this case is $6,200. In civil court, the client is awarded the cost of the investment plus any attorneys' fees and court costs, plus any interest that the state deems appropriate, less any income earned on the investment. In this instance, the only income is the interest that the client earned, which is identical to the interest that the Administrator mandates the investment adviser pay, so that is a wash. The investment advisory fee is included as part of the investor's cost, so the client can sue for the recovery of his original investment of $5,000 plus the $200 he paid for the investment advice plus the court costs and attorneys' fees of $1,000, or $6,200 total.

Question 19

Under the NASAA Model Rules, the statute of limitations for civil liabilities is

Accepted Answer

Under the NASAA Model Rules, the statue of limitations for civil liabilities is the earlier of two years after the discovery of facts and three years after the sale. This follows the recommendations provided by the Uniform Securities Act of 1956.

Question 20

Gazillions is an investment adviser with offices in the state that is registered with the SEC
And has $100 billion dollars under management. A client has filed a complaint asserting that the firm has been involved in fraudulent activities. In this case,

Accepted Answer

If Gazillions is operating as an SEC-registered adviser in a state, it must answer to both the SEC and the state in which the complaint has been filed, even though there is no requirement that it had to register with the state, given that it was a federal covered investment adviser. Allegations of fraud come under the state's authority as well, even if the adviser is a federal covered investment adviser.

Quiz 4: Uniform Securities Act USA and State Registration Requirements