FINRA Panel Orders Charles Schwab to Pay Damages Over Structured Product Losses Sold by Vora Wealth Management

Posted on October 27th, 2025 at 11:46 AM
FINRA Panel Orders Charles Schwab to Pay Damages Over Structured Product Losses Sold by Vora Wealth Management

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

A three-person FINRA arbitration panel ordered Charles Schwab & Co. to pay $165,440 in compensatory damages to a former client of Vora Wealth Management, after losses tied to complex structured products.

According to InvestmentNews, the now-defunct Vora Wealth Management, was founded by Dharmesh Vora, who made large speculative investments in structured notes linked to four NASDAQ-listed stocks. Those investments ultimately caused millions in losses for clients.

This marks the second FINRA arbitration award against Schwab this year involving former clients of Vora Wealth. InvestmentNews reports that, in March, another FINRA panel ordered Schwab to pay $167,950 in compensatory damages former Vora clients. Both claims alleged negligence and breach of fiduciary duty.

According to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dharmesh Vora—who was barred from the securities industry in 2023—sold structured notes between November 2020 and November 2021 without properly disclosing the transactions to clients. The SEC reported that Vora used $124 million of clients’ $139.5 million in assets to buy the notes, often with proceeds from annuity sales.

InvestmentNews reports that, the investments began to unravel in November 2021, when one of the underlying stocks fell below its 50 percent downside protection level, triggering termination of coupon payments. The stock never recovered, and clients ultimately suffered more than $89 million in realized principal losses by mid-2024.

To date, three investor claims have been filed against Schwab related to Vora Wealth’s actions, with additional cases expected.

 

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

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, finra, charles schwab

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

You are the best attorneys in the country.

CC

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

December 22, 2025
FINRA Overhauls Arbitration Rules to Rebalance Arbitrator Selection and Codify Forum Practices

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has approved significant amendments to its Codes of Arbitration Procedure designed to rebalance public arbitrator selection, increase transparency, and formalize several long-standing practices in the arbitration forum.

December 19, 2025
Industry Groups Press Senate at Advance Financial Exploitation Prevention Act

Several industry associations are urging the U.S. Senate to pass the Financial Exploitation Prevention Act, legislation that would allow mutual fund companies and their transfer agents to delay redemptions when they reasonably suspect elder financial abuse.

December 18, 2025
UBS Warns of Rising Default Risk in Private Credit

A UBS report signals that credit stress likely will intensify next year as borrowers confront inflation, elevated interest costs, and softening consumer conditions.