This is probably more for the folks "working" in the industry more so than the independent & prop traders. Given the current state of financial devastation and how this has all played out in the last 12 months along with the brand new "FINRA" reorg, I was hoping to get some new input that is more relative. Yes I dug through some really old threads on here and its no secret in the past, if you had say a bankruptcy or some kind of other previous financial problem, you could still get licensed and registered, etc. However do you think now given the state of affairs, a financial disclosure would get you more empathy or resentment from a prospective employer?? For starters, it seems whenever I run across some "decent" job opportunities it specifically states, MUST HAVE CLEAN U4! So what exactly is a clean U4? Are any kinds of financial disclosures going to make this an unclean U4?? If you had a bankruptcy filed say seven years ago, would you not be inclined to just wait it out another few years, that way you would not have to disclose it because the parameters of the U4 specifically state WITHIN 10 YEARS?? Here is another scenario; lets say you have been working for a financial services company for 5 years and now have an opportunity to elevate your career getting registered and licensed, etc. If you had a bankruptcy though in the last five years, is it really worth it?? Down the road, who is going to want to hire you when they see that financial disclosure on your U4??
I don't think a personal bankruptcy would hurt you. As for the U4 being "clean", they don't want to see any matierial violations/convictions... especially those which involve the money of other people.