New FINRA rules regarding nontraded REITs have some advisors crying off this investment. The rule requires advisers to report the actual value of those investments – less commissions to their clients, a practice many had avoided. Several experts view nontraded REITs as a money-maker for the advisor but not the client, as there is no way to establish a value until there is an event such as a sale or purchase. Others claim that these real estate investments help stabilize the client’s portfolio because their value doesn’t fluctuate as much as bonds. Hugh Berkson, president of PIABA, finds these arguments to be false. The new rules will likely result in lower commissions on REITs, a situation many believe is in the best interests of investors.
Hugh Berkson is a Securities Attorney with McCarthy, Lebit, Crystal & Liffman, Co. LPA. Hugh is rated AV® Preeminent™ by Martindale-Hubbell®.
He obtained a business degree in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin in 1989, and is a 1994 graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where he was a member of the Order of the Barristers and received both the American Jurisprudence Award, (National Mock Trial) in 1993 and the Jonathan M. Ault Mock Trial Prize for 1993-1994.
