Authority and scope
Sections ↑Registers and permission checks
Sections ↑Registration and service scope
| Question | Reference and action |
|---|---|
| Broker-dealer identity | Use Investor.gov’s professional-checking resources and BrokerCheck to match the legal broker, identifiers and disclosures. Read the full record rather than treating a search result as an endorsement.Source 1 |
| Registration framework | Broker-dealers generally must register with the SEC and join FINRA, subject to relevant exceptions. The registration category and actual business matter.Source 2 |
| Adviser versus broker | An investment-adviser record and a broker-dealer record answer different questions. Use the appropriate professional-checking route for the service in the agreement.Source 1 |
Check the exact legal entity, permissions, current status and scope in the official record. A brand connection in our coverage does not establish authorisation.
Rules for firms and products
Sections ↑For retail recommendations, Regulation Best Interest addresses a broker-dealer’s standard of conduct; Form CRS supplies a relationship summary intended to help customers understand services, fees, conflicts and disciplinary information. Those requirements should be read with the type of service actually provided. A recommendation standard is not a representation that every self-directed trade has been individually assessed or will be profitable.[7]
Most covered US broker-dealer securities transactions moved to T+1 settlement on 28 May 2024. The SEC bulletin includes stocks, bonds, municipal securities, exchange-traded funds and certain other securities. T+1 means one business day after the trade date: it is a settlement convention, not a promise of instant cash withdrawal or a rule for every financial instrument.[8]
Client assets and protection boundaries
Sections ↑Separate three questions when reviewing a securities account: whether the provider and representative have the relevant registration, how the broker holds customer cash and securities, and whether the account’s missing property qualifies for SIPC if the member fails. Registration and a relationship summary address conduct and disclosure; SIPC eligibility addresses a different failure scenario.[7][5]
Complaints and dispute resolution
Sections ↑Match the problem to the recipient
| Question | Reference and action |
|---|---|
| Investment account complaint | The Office of Investor Education and Assistance provides an investor complaint form and a separate question form. Supply the account provider and issue through the applicable official form.Source 3 |
| Possible legal violation | The SEC contact guidance distinguishes investor assistance from enforcement tips and complaints. Reporting a suspected breach is not a guaranteed award of money.Source 4 |
| Complaint about the regulator | The SEC Ombuds route concerns relevant issues with the regulator; it is not a replacement for submitting a brokerage complaint to the appropriate recipient.Source 4 |
| Missing assets after firm failure | Check the actual carrying firm and SIPC eligibility. SEC registration by itself is not a deposit guarantee or protection against investment losses.Source 5 |
Compensation and firm failure
Sections ↑SIPC is missing-property protection, not an investment guarantee
| Parameter | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Headline limit | Up to USD 500,000, including—not in addition to—a USD 250,000 cash limit.Source 6 |
| Covered cash | Cash connected with buying or selling securities; a money-market mutual fund is treated as a security.Source 6 |
| Trigger and risk | Missing customer property at a financially troubled SIPC-member brokerage. Falling market values and unsuitable-advice losses are not protected by this mechanism.Source 6 |
| Residence | A non-US customer is not excluded merely because of nationality or residence.Source 6 |
Official contacts and resources
Sections ↑Official contact and evidence
| Question | Reference and action |
|---|---|
| Investor assistance | The OIEA page publishes [email protected] and 202-551-6500, alongside its online forms. Select the form appropriate to an account complaint or general question.Source 3 |
| Before acting | Preserve the agreement, statements and relevant correspondence, and check current instructions at the receiving body. The existence of a public authority does not establish eligibility for every remedy.Source 4Source 1 |
SIPC protection scope
- Responsible body
- Securities Investor Protection Corporation
- Scope
- Separate the total limit, cash sublimit and investment-risk exclusions.
- Resource availability
- Available
- Checked
- Source 6
Resource availability describes the documented route. It does not establish eligibility, authorisation or compensation coverage.
Report misconduct, scams or a clone
Sections ↑This profile has not yet established the applicable procedure, receiving body and eligibility for this task. Consult the authority’s official resources and check your firm, product and circumstances before acting.
Sources & further reading
- Checking an investment professional through BrokerCheck US Securities and Exchange Commission · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Broker-dealers: registration framework US Securities and Exchange Commission · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Office of Investor Education and Assistance US Securities and Exchange Commission · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- Investor Advocate: appropriate contact routes US Securities and Exchange Commission · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- What SIPC protects Securities Investor Protection Corporation · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- What SIPC protects: missing property, cash sublimit and excluded risks Securities Investor Protection Corporation · Accessed 13 Oct 2026
- SEC: Regulation Best Interest and Form CRS US Securities and Exchange Commission · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- SEC Investor Bulletin: the T+1 settlement cycle US Securities and Exchange Commission · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
A documented resource is not a finding of eligibility or compensation coverage. Consult the named body and current official terms for your firm, product and circumstances.
Report an error or submit an update
Covered broker profiles
Profiles connected to this authority in our coverage. This is not a complete official register or a list of approved brokers; see each entity’s dated status.
Acorns
A detailed U.S. profile of Acorns Invest, Later, Early and banking services, including Bronze, Silver and Gold subscriptions, portfolio structures, Round-Ups, conditional retirement and child-account matches, transfers, ancillary charges, legal entities and protection boundaries.
- Operating status
- Active
- Headquarters
- Irvine, California, United States
- Sources checked
- 15 Oct 2026
Betterment
A detailed U.S. profile of Betterment’s managed, self-directed, retirement and cash products, including the $5 monthly versus percentage pricing test, Premium advice, securities lending, transfers, withdrawals, sweep-bank protection and the legal roles of Betterment, Apex and program banks.
- Operating status
- Active
- Headquarters
- New York, United States
- Sources checked
- 15 Oct 2026
CenterPoint Securities
CenterPoint Securities is an active-trading service of Clear Street LLC. The profile separates its USD 30,000 specialist account, activity/equity benefit tiers, execution and borrow costs, platform subscriptions, withdrawal holds and emergency dealing from other Clear Street products and historical carrying arrangements.
- Operating status
- Active
- Sources checked
- 15 Oct 2026
Lightspeed
Lightspeed combines specialist securities platforms, configurable commissions and separate futures access. This profile distinguishes platform opening balances, clearing arrangements, order minimums, data subscriptions, cash-transfer timing and the 2026 intraday-margin transition instead of treating every Lightspeed account as the same service.
- Operating status
- Active
- Sources checked
- 13 Oct 2026
SogoTrade
A US securities-broker profile separating zero-commission orders from liquidity credits, cash from margin, deposit holds from settlement, and brokerage from managed and cryptocurrency services. Includes the unresolved implementation evidence for 2026 intraday-margin changes.
- Operating status
- Active
- Sources checked
- 14 Oct 2026
Stash
A detailed U.S. profile of Stash’s subscription, self-directed and managed investing, retirement and custodial accounts, Stock-Back card rewards, transfer and closure charges, inactivity restrictions, custody, legal entities and protection limits.
- Operating status
- Active
- Headquarters
- New York, United States
- Sources checked
- 15 Oct 2026
Wealthfront
A detailed U.S. profile of Wealthfront’s automated and stock-investing accounts, standalone direct indexing, retirement accounts and Cash Account, including advisory fees, APY promotions, transfers, savings automation, custody, bank sweep limits and operational controls.
- Operating status
- Active
- Headquarters
- Palo Alto, California, United States
- Sources checked
- 15 Oct 2026