Tr?id=566623520170033&ev=PageView&noscript=1

CFP Board Suspends Advisor Over Improper GWG Bond Sales

Posted on July 14th, 2022 at 12:25 PM
CFP Board Suspends Advisor Over Improper GWG Bond Sales

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law:

The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. (CFP Board) has issued an interim suspension against Patrick Egan, who is an advisor at Western International Securities, a firm recently charged by the SEC for violating Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI). 

In June, the SEC charged Western International Securities (Western) as well as five of its advisors, including Egan, with violating Reg BI when they recommended and sold GWG L Bonds to some retirees and other investors. GWG Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after failing to timely file its audited financial statements with the SEC in April 2022. According to the SEC, Western and the advisors recommended the L bonds to several retail investors who relied on fixed incomes and employ moderate risk tolerances. However, GWG noted in its prospectus that the L bonds were illiquid, high-risk, and only suitable for investors with substantial financial resources. 

Egan and the other Western advisors violated Reg BI’s “care obligation” by failing to exercise reasonable due diligence and skill required to understand the risks, rewards, and costs associated with the L bonds, according to the SEC. The SEC additionally alleged that Egan and the other Western advisors recommended the investments without a reasonable basis for believing that the bonds were in the clients’ best interests. The CPF Board subsequently suspended Egan’s ability to use the CFP certification marks after discovering the SEC’s lawsuit and investigation. 

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors in GWG L Bond cases as well as financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, regulatory and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, CFP Board, Western

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

 


It was really fun seeing you fight for us. You have an amazing way of thinking out of the box.


 

Beth M.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1779464913 Law
May 22, 2026
Blue Owl Caps Redemptions as Investors Seek Billions in Withdrawals from Private Credit Funds

Blue Owl Capital faced a sharp rise in redemption requests during the first quarter as investors attempted to withdraw approximately $5.4 billion from two of the firm's largest private credit funds, according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal.

L
May 21, 2026
Edward Jones Faces Federal Privacy Lawsuits Over Alleged Data Sharing With Tech Companies

Edward Jones is facing multiple lawsuits alleging that the firm improperly shared clients' personal and financial information with third-party technology companies for targeted advertising purposes, according to reporting by Financial Planning.

1779287606 Law
May 20, 2026
FINRA Sanctions Ameriprise for Supervisory Failures in Variable Annuity Exchanges

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has fined Ameriprise Financial Services and ordered restitution to resolve allegations that the firm failed to adequately supervise certain variable annuity exchange recommendations.