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

Investor Sues Both Schwab and Hightower Over Pledged Asset Line

Posted on June 9th, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Investor Sues Both Schwab and Hightower Over Pledged Asset Line

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

A retiree has filed a lawsuit accusing Charles Schwab & Co. and Hightower Advisors of financial elder abuse, fraud, and breach of fiduciary duty. ThinkAdvisor reports that the complaint alleges the firms drained over $422,000 from his retirement portfolio through unauthorized trades, misrepresentations, and unsuitable investment strategies.

The investor claims Schwab and Hightower exposed him to excessive risk by concentrating his portfolio and using margin leverage without proper oversight. The lawsuit contends the firms misrepresented a high-risk pledged asset line, functionally a margin loan, as a safe credit line. The investor now faces the imminent forced liquidation of his remaining retirement assets, with only a narrow financial buffer preventing a margin call.

According to the complaint, the investor transferred over $856,000 from JPMorgan Chase to Schwab in 2021, making clear to his Schwab senior financial consultant that these were retirement funds to be managed conservatively. The Schwab consultant then referred the investor to Hightower.

The investor granted Hightower limited trading authority, allegedly relying on sample portfolio performance materials. The investor now claims the trades were unauthorized.

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
Quotes Bigger

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

JT

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

1782150000 Law
June 22, 2026
Illinois Regulators Accuse "Mr. Finance" of Operating Unlicensed Investment Scheme

Illinois securities regulators have accused a Chicago-area businessman known as "Mr.

1781893504 Law
June 19, 2026
FINRA Suspends Former Stifel Rep for Undisclosed Customer Settlements

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has suspended a former Stifel representative for three months and imposed a $10,000 fine after finding that she settled customer complaints without notifying her firm and conducted securities-related communications through an unapproved personal device.

1781798110 Law
June 18, 2026
Silver Star Properties REIT Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Amid Mounting Defaults and Investor Losses

Silver Star Properties REIT, a publicly registered nontraded real estate investment trust formerly known as Hartman Short Term Income Properties XX Inc., has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to reports by AltsWire.