March 17, 2004
It is inconceiveable that there is a question about whether or not brokers should be required to reveal the fees for administration and transactions as well as commissions for company sponsored products. I recently purchased two high yield bond funds upon my brokers advice only to find that virtually no other company or analyst is recommending them at this time. Futher, I learned that the company was encouraging their brokers to promote the products. Both products are currently below the purchase price and have remained there since the initial offering. Had I known more about how this market works and the relationship between the broker and the two companies I would not have purchased the products. Additionally, I believe in both monetary penalties and loss of license for brokers and senior management that knowingly enter into agreements to market products whose sole purpose is to make the most money possible with no consideration for the customer nor the agreed upon financial goals of the customers portfolio.