Kentucky Advisor Fined and Suspended for Undisclosed Bourbon-Tasting Business

Posted on November 12th, 2024 at 2:25 PM
Kentucky Advisor Fined and Suspended for Undisclosed Bourbon-Tasting Business

From the desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law

A Kentucky-based financial advisor accepted a $5,000 fine and a two-month suspension for operating a bourbon-tasting business without notifying his employer, Edward Jones, as required by FINRA rules. ThinkAdvisor reports that Edward Jones employees attended at least one of Bright’s events. However, Bright failed to seek the firm’s written approval to run the business, which he operated from 2014 until he closed it in 2022.

According to FINRA’s Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent letter, Bright earned between $75,000 and $100,000 from the events in 2021 alone. While employed at Edward Jones, Bright completed compliance training annually, attesting that he understood the requirement to disclose all outside business activities.

 

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

This was the best of all possible outcomes and I cannot thank you and the team enough.

Michael S.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

February 2, 2026
California Investors Allege Unsuitable DST Recommendations in FINRA Arbitration

Two investors from the San Francisco Bay Area have filed a FINRA arbitration claim against brokerage firm Realized Financial and its financial advisors.

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.