Overview Flashcards
List types of securities
- Stocks (including treasury stocks, rights, warrants, transferrable shares, or ADRs)
- Notes, bonds, debentures, collateral trust certificates, or other evidence of indebtedness
- Interest in any profit-sharing agreement
- Variable annuities and variable life insurance contracts
- Voting trust certificates, certificates of interest in an oil, gas, or mining title or lease, preorganization certificates
- Investment contracts
- Stock options or options on commodity futures contracts
Define an Investment Advisor
Any person (usually a firm, rather than an individual) that, for compensation, engages in the business of providing others with securities-related advice, reports, or analysis.
To meet the definition of an investment advisor, a person must satisfy all three parts of the A-B-C test by:
- Providing Advice about securities
- Providing these services as Business
- Receiving Compensation for these services
Define Investment Advisor Representative
Any partner, officer, director, or other individual who is associated with an investment advisor that:
- Makes recommendations or gives advice regarding securities
- Manages accounts or portfolios of clients
- Determines which recommendations or what advice should be given
- Solicits, offers, or negotiates the sale of investment advisory services
- Supervises employees who perform any of these functions
The Uniform Securities Act (USA or blue-sky laws)
Model law (not the actual law for any one state, but rather a blueprint)
NASAA
North American Securities Administrators Association
Responsible for updating the Uniform Securities Act as well as maintaining the content of the series 63 exam
Securities Act of 1933
Regulation of new issues
Requires that certain securities be registered with the SEC in order to be offered or sold to the public
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Regulation of secondary markets
Established the SEC
Investment Advisors Act of 1940
Federal regulation of investment advisors
The Investment Company Act of 1940
Regulation of mutual funds and other investment companies
UPIA
Uniform Prudent Investor Act
A standard that sets out guidelines for trustees to follow when investing trust assets on behalf of a trustor.
Also applies to financial professionals who make recommendations or place trades on behalf of clients.
Adopts a modern portfolio theory (MPT) and total return approach to exercise of fiduciary investment and discretion.
NSMIA
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996
Eliminate the duplication of state and federal regulation of securities advisors
Securities exempt from formal state registration (federally covered securities):
- Securities listed on the U.S. exchanges
- Certain Regulation D offerings (private placements)
- Municipal securities issued outside the state
- Securities issued by registered investment companies (e.g., mutual funds)
Viatical Investments
Also referred to as Life Settlements
The purchase of rights to the death benefits from individual life insurance policies
Securities under state law
Not suitable for average retail investor
The following investors are suitable candidates:
1. Min. net worth of $150K and annual income of > $100K or min. net worth of $250K
2. Accredited investors according to reg. D
Exempt Securities
- Securities issued by the US Gov. and municipalities
- Securities issued by the Canadian government and municipalities
- Securities issued by other foreign governments
- Securities issued by banks, savings institutions, or trust companies
- Securities issued by federal credit unions or industrial loan associations
- Securities issued by insurance companies
- Securities issued by common carriers (railroads) and public utility holding companies
- Securities issued by not-for-profit organizations
- Commercial paper
- Any investment contracts issued in connection with an employee’s stock purchase, savings, pension, and profit-sharing plan
- Federal covered securities
Accredited investor under Regulation D
- Financial institution, a large tax-exempt plan, or a private business development company
- Any director, executive officer, or general partner of the issuer
- An individual who meets either one of the following criteria
- A net worth of at least $1M (excl. primary residence)
- A gross income of at least $200K ($300K for a married couple) for each of the past 2 year, with the anticipation that this income level will continue