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

Financial Advisors Win Arbitration Over "Book of Business" Dispute

Posted on July 22nd, 2024 at 3:02 PM
Financial Advisors Win Arbitration Over

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

In a lengthy arbitration dispute, two Miami-based financial advisors, Eduardo Augsten and Gustavo Vega, battled over revenue generated from their shared book of business. According to InvestmentNews, the dispute, which took over four years to resolve, centered on the lack of a formal written agreement between the partners, highlighting the pitfalls of operating on a handshake deal.

The arbitration award from May 17, rendered by three FINRA dispute resolution arbitrators, awarded Augsten $376,000. Augsten's complaint, filed in January 2020, sought unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, costs related to the joint office and lease, and other issues arising from the dissolution of their firm, Wealthengage.

Augsten had sought an equitable lien on the revenues generated by client fees and commissions, as well as reimbursement for any debts incurred after the partnership ended. Augsten owned 50 percent of the firm, and had contributed significant funds to start the company. Augsten managed the back-office operations while Vega handled client interactions.

 

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, transition, regulatory, and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, finra

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next
Quotes Bigger

The work that you and your team have performed on my behalf is exemplary.

JT

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1794596228 Law
November 13, 2026
Snowden Lane Partners to Pay $364,590 Over Undisclosed Conflicts and Misleading Client Agreements

Snowden Lane Partners will pay $364,590 to settle Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charges that it failed to disclose compensation arrangements tied to client cash sweep investments and margin loans.

1794509056 Law
November 12, 2026
SEC Issues its 2026 Enforcement Report

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed 348 enforcement actions in fiscal year 2026, including 235 standalone actions and 113 follow-on administrative proceedings.

1794418115 Law
November 11, 2026
Morgan Stanley Develops AI Super Agents to Build Portfolios and Manage Client Accounts

Morgan Stanley is developing AI-powered "super agents" that could eventually build investment portfolios, manage client accounts and handle many of the routine tasks that wealth management professionals perform today.