Securities Lawyers Blog
The attorneys at Gana Weinstein LLP are investigating BrokerCheck records reports that Broker Eric Ruthman (Ruthman), currently employed by Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments has been subject to at least one disclosable event. These events include one customer complaint. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Ruthman’s most recent customer complaint alleges that Ruthman recommended unsuitable investments in structured products and makes allegations concerning misconduct relating to the handling of the customer’s accounts.
FINRA BrokerCheck shows a pending customer complaint with a damage request of $326,341.61 on July 22, 2025.
Client claims rep invested her money in structured notes that were unsuitable
Structured products are a class of derivative products that derive their performance from market linked data. The market risk of a structured product is typically linked to an underlying reference. It can originate from a single security, a group of securities such as a market index, commodities, interest rates, or a portfolio of real estate loans. The variety of products that can be structured demonstrates the difficulty in formulating a single unified definition of a structured product.
Structured products often offer weaker risk/return profiles compared to standard debt or equity investments since the issuing brokerage firms, mainly large banks, seek to earn from the gap between investor payments and the revenue generated from issuing structured notes, minus broker commissions and fees. Due to the intricate nature of these products, many investors will lack the ability to accurately weigh their merits or estimate the probability of returns versus losses. Some brokers inaccurately market these investments as fixed income or bond-like instruments that return capital. Due to the high risk of loss compared to corporate debt or other fixed income alternatives it would never be appropriate to recommend most structured products as fixed income alternatives.
Recently, firms have begun selling redeemable structured notes often linked to a single investment or a basket of investments. A couple of examples of structured products linked to single securities shows the extreme risk of these products without meaningful benefit. Our firm examined a structured note tied to Peloton’s stock, offering investors 1.0625% interest per month (12.75% annually), and another note linked to Zillow’s stock, which promised a 12% annual interest paid monthly, provided the stock prices remained above a set threshold. Only if both stocks depreciate by nearly 40% would the interest payment be entirely removed. In addition, if the stocks lost more than approximately 40% of their value then the investor would also lose their corresponding principal based upon the performance of the stocks and could lose their entire investment. Further, the notes were callable and could be cancelled by the sponsor.
These products are very high risk and low reward propositions because the investor can only profit at most by 12-12.75% over the course of one year. Even if Peloton or Zillow doubled in value all the investor could achieve would be the interest payment as their profit and none of the price appreciation. Meanwhile the maximum loss is 100% of the investment if the stocks fell severely. Accordingly, the investor takes dramatic downside risks associated with the volatile stocks while having no chance to participate in the success of the stock.
According to newsources, a study revealed that 7.3% of financial advisors had a customer complaint on their record when records from 2005 to 2015 were examined. Brokers must publicly disclose reportable events on their BrokerCheck reports that include customer complaints, IRS tax liens, judgments, investigations, terminations, and criminal cases.
Ruthman entered the securities industry in 2014. Ruthman has been registered as a Broker with Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments since 2021.
Investors who have suffered losses are encouraged to contact us at (800) 810-4262 for consultation. At Gana Weinstein LLP, our attorneys are experienced representing investors who have suffered securities losses due to the mishandling of their accounts. Claims may be brought in securities arbitration before FINRA. Our consultations are free of charge and the firm is only compensated if you recover.