Ethics Case Study

Brock Mason Brokerage firm had a number of noticeable issues that played close to fraudulent practices. The firm has an explicit strategy of selling their products first and all the other available products second. Such practice along with not spending a lot of time talking with customers, selling stock that is not in the best interest of the customers, false advertising, finding ways to elude disclosure of commissions, and withholding pertinent information from customers before selling the product sends the message of untrustworthiness and dismay to the customer. Most people search for a brokerage firm with the intent of building a strategic partnership to assist in making good financial decisions. Whether they need advice for investing towards retirement, building their children’s education fund, or just seeking options to grow their nest egg, people have urgency for assurance that their best interest is truly at the forefront. Unfortunately, when you find many stories on the internet, news or in magazine articles about brokerage firms mismanaging client funds, it makes you wonder if these firms are really being regulated properly. Is justice really being served? What moral standards are being used to justify what is right and wrong? Some of the dealings of many brokers have some people wondering if they have a conscience or are they just evil. A good example in this case was when one of the brokers took advantage of an unemployed widow who needed sound advice on how to diversify her portfolio in such a way that it would sustain her for the rest of her life. Needless to say, she was steered in the wrong direction. It may have been poor planning on her part by not getting a second or third opinion but she also should have been provided some kind of assurance that the firm she chose to entrust her money was in the business of making good investments for its client because that’s what her expectations were. In this type of business everyone should