A lingering stain

Investors curious about what their broker is up to are routinely encouraged to consult BrokerCheck, the online customer complaint and disciplinary database maintained by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the self-regulating watchdog of brokerages.

The tool is supposed to flag unscrupulous advisors with unsavory business practices, substantial personal issues or criminal records. And FINRA says it’s prioritizing scrutiny of “high risk firms” whose brokers cheat consumers.

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In reality, BrokerCheck gets a lot of criticism for not being easy to use and not being thorough. Meanwhile, although the lengthy and complex FINRA process known as expungement can remove a reputational stain from an advisor’s BrokerCheck record, the blot can live on, through digital news sources, Google searches, social media outlets and review websites like Yelp!

Here’s how one advisor is wrangling with the process — and with the fallout.

Read more: Misleading disclosures linger as advisors try to rebuild reputations with expungement