Insights & Perspectives from Commons Capital
June 15, 2026
Three Ways to Build a Child's Financial Foundation
Signed into law on July 4, 2025 as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Trump account (the new §530A account) is a tax-advantaged retirement account opened in a child's name. Any child under 18 with a Social Security number is eligible — there are no income limits on contributors and no earned-income requirement.
Private Wealth
May 28, 2026
The Fiduciary Reckoning, Part III: The Public Record on Merrill Lynch and Bank of America
In Parts I and II of this series, we walked the public regulatory record of Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley.1 Two firms. Combined documented federal and state enforcement and admitted misconduct: approximately $13 billion across the windows the two installments covered. One word still on the marketing materials at both firms: fiduciary. Part III turns to Merrill Lynch and Bank of America.
Private Wealth
May 20, 2026
The Fiduciary Reckoning, Part II: The Public Record on Morgan Stanley
The five major U.S. wirehouses — Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, and JPMorgan Chase — all market themselves as fiduciary-minded, client-first institutions. Their regulatory records, all of which sit in public databases at the SEC, DOJ, CFPB, OCC, FINRA, and the Federal Reserve, tell a different story.
Private Wealth
May 9, 2026
The Fiduciary Reckoning, Part I: The Public Record on Wells Fargo
The five major U.S. wirehouses — Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, and JPMorgan Chase — all market themselves as fiduciary-minded, client-first institutions. Their regulatory records, all of which sit in public databases at the SEC, DOJ, CFPB, OCC, FINRA, and the Federal Reserve, tell a different story.
