What this section is
Item 11 is a series of disclosure Yes/No questions on the firm’s Form ADV: criminal history, regulatory actions, civil judicial matters, and related topics. Each sub-item stands alone. A Yes on one line does not answer the others.
On Best Investors, every Item 11 Yes appears in the firm’s Disclosures card near the top of the profile. When the firm’s Form ADV PDF includes filled Disclosure Reporting Pages (DRPs), event narratives - regulator, docket, allegations, sanctions - appear on the same card. The full Yes/No checklist also sits in the ADV form panel under Item 11. If any advisor on the roster has disclosure categories marked Yes, those names appear on the same Disclosures card.
Treat each Yes as a checked disclosure box, not as proof of guilt by itself. The checkbox only says the firm reported that the question’s conditions apply. The narrative (when present) carries the facts you need: who, when, what forum, and what outcome.
Yes
A flag that this disclosure category applies - a checked disclosure box (and related DRP when present), not a verdict from the checkbox alone. Read the other Item 11 answers on the same profile; do not stop at one line.
No
This specific question does not apply as asked. It does not clear the other Item 11 lines.
Common clusters: 11A–11B criminal history; 11C–11E regulatory and SRO findings; 11F professional authorization losses; 11G and 11H(2) pending proceedings; 11H(1) civil judicial outcomes. Neighboring boxes can look similar; use the field explainers when the wording is unclear.
How to use it on a profile
- Open the firm profile on Best Investors and find Disclosures (or the ADV form Item 11 block).
- Read every Yes line before you judge the firm.
- Read any Disclosure events from Form ADV (docket, allegations, sanctions) when present.
- Check any advisors listed with disclosure categories marked Yes.
- Use field explainers such as 11A(1) felony conviction / plea, 11C(2) SEC/CFTC violation finding, or 11G pending regulatory proceeding when you need the exact question wording.
- If Yes, also skim related Item 11 neighbors on the same panel - for example, a Yes on findings next to a Yes on orders or penalties often describes one matter from different angles.
What it does not tell you
- Advisor-level narrative details (individual BrokerCheck / Form U4 DRP text) - roster advisors currently show Yes/No categories only
- Whether every historical matter appears if the firm removed older DRPs from the current ADV
- Broker-dealer history beyond what this firm’s Item 11, PDF DRP pages, and linked advisor records cover
- Fees, investment performance, or whether the firm is a fit for your household - those sit outside Item 11
Related reading
Sources
- Form ADV Part 1A, Item 11
- Firm Disclosures card and ADV form on Best Investors
Fields in this section
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11 - Do any of the events below involve you or any of your supervised persons
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11A(1) - Been convicted of or plead guilty or nolo contendere ("no contest") in a domestic, foreign, or military court to any felony
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11A(2) - Been charged with any felony
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11B(1) - Been convicted of or plead guilty or nolo contendere ("no contest") in a domestic, foreign, or military court to a misdemeanor involving: investments or an investment-related business, or any fraud, false statements, or omissions, wrongful taking of property, bribery, perjury, forgery, counterfeiting, extortion, or a conspiracy to commit any of these offenses
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11B(2) - Been charged with a misdemeanor listed in 11.B(1)
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11C(1) - Found you or any advisory affiliate to have made a false statement or omission
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11C(2) - Found you or any advisory affiliate to have been involved in a violation of SEC or CFTC regulations or statutes
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11C(3) - Found you or any advisory affiliate to have been a cause of an investment-related business having its authorization to do business denied, suspended, revoked, or restricted
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11C(4) - Entered an order against you or any advisory affiliate in connection with investment-related activity
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11C(5) - Imposed a civil money penalty on you or any advisory affiliate, or ordered you or any advisory affiliate to cease and desist from any activity
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11D(1) - Ever found you or any advisory affiliate to have made a false statement or omission, or been dishonest, unfair, or unethical
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11D(2) - Ever found you or any advisory affiliate to have been involved in a violation of investment-related regulations or statutes
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11D(3) - Ever found you or any advisory affiliate to have been a cause of an investment-related business having its authorization to do business denied, suspended, revoked, or restricted
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11D(4) - In the past ten years, entered an order against you or any advisory affiliate in connection with an investment-related activity
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11D(5) - Ever denied, suspended, or revoked your or any advisory affiliate's registration or license, or otherwise prevented you or any advisory affiliate, by order, from associating with an investment-related business or restricted your or any advisory affiliate's activity
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11E(1) - Found you or any advisory affiliate to have made a false statement or omission
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11E(2) - Found you or any advisory affiliate to have been involved in a violation of its rules (other than a violation designated as a "minor rule violation" under a plan approved by the SEC)
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11E(3) - Found you or any advisory affiliate to have been the cause of an investment-related business having its authorization to do business denied, suspended, revoked, or restricted
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11E(4) - Disciplined you or any advisory affiliate by expelling or suspending you or the advisory affiliate from membership, barring or suspending you or the advisory affiliate from association with other members, or otherwise restricting your or the advisory affiliate's activities
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11F - Has an authorization to act as an attorney, accountant, or federal contractor granted to you or any advisory affiliate ever been revoked or suspended
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11G - Are you or any advisory affiliate now the subject of any regulatory proceeding that could result in a "yes" answer to any part of Item 11.C., 11.D., or 11.E
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11H(1)(a) - The past ten years, enjoined you or any advisory affiliate in connection with any investment-related activity
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11H(1)(b) - Ever found that you or any advisory affiliate were involved in a violation of investment-related statutes or regulations
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11H(1)(c) - Ever dismissed, pursuant to a settlement agreement, an investment-related civil action brought against you or any advisory affiliate by a state or foreign financial regulatory authority
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11H(2) - Are you or any advisory affiliate now the subject of any civil proceeding that could result in a "yes" answer to any part of Item 11.H(1)