Advertising

Unless you were born into a well-connected family, clients won’t likely just fall into your lap. You’re going to have to market and advertise yourself and your firm to make a living. Of course, that means that your state securities Administrator is going to have some standards about what you put into print and the documentation you need to provide to your clients and prospects. As with everything else, the core of all rules about advertising and marketing comes down to two things every client and prospect is entitled to—honesty and transparency.

Specifically prohibited in advertisements for investment advisers and investment adviser representatives are:

• • Testimonials for an investment adviser or their representatives about their services. (Broker-dealers are permitted to use testimonials, subject to certain restrictions.)
• • References to past recommendations, unless the IA or IAR provides a list of all recommendations he has made for at least 12 months, as well as a statement that any past success is no guarantee of future results.
• • Graphs, charts, formulae, or other devices that can by themselves be used to imply which securities are best to buy or sell, or when, without prominently disclosing the limitations and difficulties of doing so.
• • Any promises of a free report, research, or analysis, unless those items will truly be provided free of charge.