Steve Wilkinson: $325K Complaint Against Wilkinson Wealth Advisor

Oakland, California financial advisor Steve Wilkinson (CRD# 1180321) allegedly did not act in a customer’s best interest, according to a recent investor complaint. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority records show that he is registered as a broker and an investment advisor with LPL Financial, doing business as Wilkinson Wealth Management.

Mr. Wilkinson’s BrokerCheck report discloses two investor complaints. The most recent, filed in January 2026, alleges that as a representative of Western International Securities, he did not act in the customer’s best interest when recommending a corporate bond investment. The pending complaint alleges damages of $325,000.

In a statement included with the pending complaint’s disclosure, Mr. Wilkinson defended himself against the allegations. “The representative denies any wrongdoing and asserts that the allegations are without merit,” he wrote. “The investments about which the customers complained were suitable and were recommended based on the customers’ objectives, goals and financial circumstances and were offered only after their review of all material documentation related to the investments. At all times, the representative put the customers’ interest first.”

An earlier investor complaint, filed in 2011, alleged that as a representative of ePlanning Securities, he misrepresented material facts and fraudulently failed to disclose information about an investment. The complaint was part of a class action that reached a settlement of $2 million. “My former Broker Dealer had to settle a suit bought by a number investors on AREI Real Estate Co, a myriad of brokerage firms, & advisors, over a failed project during the financial crisis,” he wrote in a statement included with the disclosure. “I had a client that had $60,000 in one of them & that participated in the settlement.”

According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Justin Hoyt holds 30 years of securities industry experience. Based in Oakland, California, he has been registered as a broker and an investment advisor with LPL Financial since June 2025, doing business as Wilkinson Wealth Management. His registration history includes Western International Securities, GBS Advisors, GBS Financial, Securities America, ePlanning Securities, Ameritas Investment Corporation, and The Advisors Group. His credentials include the passage of five securities industry qualifying exams: the Securities Industry Essentials Examination, or SIE; the Uniform Combined State Law Examination, or Series 66; the Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination, or Series 65; the Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination, or Series 63; and the General Securities Representative Examination, or Series 7. He is licensed in California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas. (Information current as of March 7, 2026.)

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