Matt Hawkins: Cola Wealth Advisor Received Bond Complaint

At least one former client of Centaurus Financial advisor Matt Hawkins (CRD# 5731136) is listed as a creditor for an investment in an L Bond product issued by GWG Holdings, according to records filed with a US bankruptcy court. These records describe an investment of $140,000. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority records show that Mr. Hawkins is currently based in Lexington, South Carolina, where he does business as Cola Wealth Advisors.

Mr. Hawkins’ BrokerCheck report discloses more than 10 investor complaints. The most recent, filed in 2019, alleged that as a representative of JP Turner & Company and Centaurus Financial, he breached his fiduciary duty and recommended unsuitable investments in real estate and corporate bond products. In 2020 the complaint reached a settlement of $82,500.

An earlier investor complaint, filed in 2020, alleged that as a representative of Cetera Financial Group and Centaurus Financial, he “misrepresented unsuitable investments and breached his fiduciary duty” in connection to real estate and corporate bond products. In 2021the complaint reached a settlement of $11,250.

A third investor complaint, filed in 2020, similarly alleged that he breached his fiduciary duty, made misrepresentations of material facts, and recommended unsuitable bonds and other products while at Centaurus Financial and Cetera Financial. In 2021 the complaint reached a settlement of $42,500.

Eight other investor complaints, filed between 2018 and 2020, detail similar allegations concerning his conduct as a Centaurus and Cetera representative, including the misrepresentation and/or recommendation of unsuitable investments. The complaints cumulatively settled for more than $200,000.

More information about GWG L bonds, the product issued by GWG Holdings before it filed for bankruptcy amidst an SEC investigation in 2022, is available via our investor resource here.

According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Matt Hawkins holds 12 years of securities industry experience. Based in Lexington, South Carolina, he has been a broker with Centaurus Financial since 2015, doing business as Cola Wealth Advisors. He was previously registered with JP Turner & Company in Lexington, South Carolina from 2011 until 2015. His credentials include the passage of three securities industry qualifying exams: the General Securities Representative Examination, or Series 7; the Securities Industry Essentials Examination, or SIE; and the Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination, or Series 63. He is licensed in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. (Information current as of June 1, 2023.)

Carlson Law has represented at least nine investors in claims against their financial advisors for investments in GWG Holdings Inc. If you or a loved one have suffered investment losses, please call us at 888-976-6111 or complete our contact form for a free and confidential consultation.