Our Relationships
Cambridge Investment Research
In their role as registered investment advisor (RIA), Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc. processes the fee-based business I do. I am licensed to do business through them as an investment advisor representative (IAR). Cambridge thereby holds certain responsibilities for regulatory compliance and adherence to securities laws.
In their role as broker-dealer (BD), Cambridge Investments Research, Inc. facilitates the buying and selling of securities on my behalf for my clients. In this role, they also hold certain responsibilities for regulatory compliance and adherence to securities laws.
For a more detailed and thorough description, please visit them online.
Pershing, LLC
Pershing, LLC is, if not the largest, then certainly among the largest custodial and clearing firms in the world. Custodians used to safeguard the physical documents like stock and bond certificates and manage the transfer of those documents to different accounts following transactions. They still perform the functional equivalent of that today, but the business is almost entirely electronic. They provide trade executions, clearing, custody of the electronic financial and account records, and other service for securities and related transactions. For instance, they provide monthly account statement and online account access for records of transactions and holdings.
Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC)
Client assets are protected by the Securities Investor Protection Act, which is administered by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). Similar to the FDIC in the banking industry, SIPC is a non-profit, non-government, membership corporation funded by member broker-dealers. SIPC’s primary role is to return funds and securities to investors if the broker-dealer holding these assets becomes insolvent. Cambridge’s broker-dealer and its non-affiliated clearing partners are members of SIPC. Securities in your account are protected up to $500,000, For details, visit them online.
SEC
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an agency of the U.S. Government that oversees the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which in turn oversees broker-dealers, clearing firms and your financial professional. Both the SEC and FINRA require members to comply with various rules intended to regulate and oversee the operation of financial markets and the sales practices of financial professionals. Regulators aren’t associated with, and do not endorse, Cambridge or Pershing. You can review the regulatory standing of Cambridge and each associated financial professional by visiting FINRA’s BrokerCheck.
Regulators
All of the entities described above work together to serve the need of the investing client while taking advantage of safeguards for physical protection of assets and records.