Former LPL Advisor Suspended for Beneficiary Designation Violations

Posted on July 17th, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Former LPL Advisor Suspended for Beneficiary Designation Violations

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

A former LPL Financial advisor has agreed to an eight-month suspension and a $5,000 fine after the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) found he improperly named his immediate family members as beneficiaries on a client’s accounts without firm approval.

According to ThinkAdvisor, Paul X. Nannicelli spent 30 years registered as a broker with LPL and 24 years as an investment adviser. Nannicelli signed a FINRA Acceptance, Waiver and Consent (AWC) letter, resolving the allegations without admitting or denying FINRA’s findings.

According to the regulator, from September 2020 through August 2023, Nannicelli circumvented LPL’s firm policies, which prohibit registered representatives and their immediate family members from being named beneficiaries on client accounts without firm consent. During this period, Nannicelli assisted an unrelated customer in designating his wife as the primary beneficiary and his four children as contingent beneficiaries on six separate accounts. The forms listed them as “family friends” to avoid detection.

Further compounding the misconduct, FINRA stated that Nannicelli later certified on an internal LPL compliance questionnaire that he was unaware of any such beneficiary designations involving his immediate family.

ThinkAdvisor reports that LPL initially submitted a Form U-5 in August 2023 reflecting Nannicelli’s voluntary departure from the firm. Three months later, the firm amended the filing to disclose an internal review prompted by a customer complaint alleging his family members had been improperly added as beneficiaries.

By assisting in these unauthorized beneficiary changes, Nannicelli violated FINRA Rule 2010, which requires members to observe high standards of commercial honor and just and equitable principles of trade.

 

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

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

Hiring Eccleston Law has been one of the best career decisions I have made and this "investment" to maintain my sterling regulatory record has been returned many times over.  If you are in a situation where you've been unfairly accused, don't hesitate to talk with Eccleston Law. They are the best.

Thomas C.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

January 30, 2026
FINRA Arbitration Panel Orders J.P. Morgan to Amend Form U-5, Flags Potential Pattern of Conduct

A Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) arbitration panel recently issued an unusually detailed decision in a dispute between J.P. Morgan Securities and former advisor Joshua David Sappi Biering, shedding rare light on how a firm may deploy - and sometimes abuse - the Form U-5 during advisor departures.

January 29, 2026
OFAC Targets Individual Trustee, Sending a Clear Warning to Fiduciaries and Family Offices

In a rare move, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) penalized a former U.S. government official, underscoring that professional gatekeepers can face personal liability for sanctions violations tied to trust administration.

January 28, 2026
FINRA Advances Overhaul of Outside Business Activity Rules to the SEC

FINRA formally has advanced its proposed overhaul of outside business activity (OBA) regulations to the Securities and Exchange Commission.