It’s surprisingly easy to file an investor complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Suppose, for the sake of argument, that you had a legitimate, well-founded complaint against a stock-trading app. Maybe, and this is just a hypothetical, the app — seemingly to protect its own interest against that of its users — locked you out of certain trades.
That’d be a bummer, right? In addition to any potential financial loses you might experience, there’s a real chance you could end up feeling angry, frustrated, sad, despondent, or all of the above. And while sure, the immediate damage is already done, that doesn’t mean you’re powerless.
Because as the internet has shown us time and time again, lots or people, taking coordinating action, can have an outsized effect. If only there was a recent example of that very thing. Hm. Oh well.
But back to our hypothetical. If you were wronged by the unnamed stock-trading app, you could, say, join onto a class action lawsuit. Or, if you wanted more immediate gratification, you could file an investor complaint with the SEC.
To do so, all you’d need to do is fill out the appropriate investor complaint form and click “submit form” when you’re done. And hey, the process might even be cathartic.
Tell them about yourself.
Image: Screenshot / SEC
“Please describe your complaint in as much detail as possible, including the full name(s) on the account, the exact type of account, the dates of specific transactions or conversations, the name or ticker symbol of the security(ies) involved, and the names of all the people at the firm you have contacted about this complaint,” asks the form.
That’s right, the SEC wants to hear from you. The SEC, unlike unnamed stock-trading apps, might actually (maybe) care about retail investors.
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And hey, you never know! A strongly worded letter might actually (for once) do something.