Amy Brandts: $450K Complaint Against Symphony Advisor

Recent investor complaints against Herndon, Virginia financial advisor Amy Brandts (CRD# 1228497) allege losses resulting from a cyber security breach. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority records show that she is registered as a broker and an investment advisor with Cambridge Investment Research, and that she is the owner of Symphony Financial Partners.

Ms. Brandt’s BrokerCheck report discloses two investor complaints. The most recent, filed in January 2025, alleges that when she was a representative of Cambridge Investment Research, her customer suffered losses as a result of a cyber security breach with her email account. The pending complaint alleges damages of $450,000.

An earlier investor complaint, filed in July 2024, similarly alleged losses resulting from a cyber security breach. In January 2025 the complaint reached a settlement of $96,672.

In statements included with each complaint’s disclosure, Ms. Brandt defended herself against the allegations. In each statement, she wrote that she had implemented the recommended security precautions prior to the cyber security incident. “[U]pon discovery of the suspicious email activity, she took immediate action to contact all clients that might have been affected,” she added. “[She] engaged third-party forensic specialists to investigate and mitigate the incident. RR asserts all active threats were remediated as quickly as possible.”

Symphony Financial Partners’ website includes a profile of Ms. Brandts describing her background and experience. “Amy began her career at a large insurance company and honed her financial planning skills at a CPA firm as the in-house financial planner and investment manager,” it explains. “Experiences at those firms caused her to recognize the value of independence and inspired her to take that leap in 2002.”

According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Amy Brandts holds 40 years of securities industry experience. Based in Herndon, Virginia, she has been registered as a broker and an investment advisor with Cambridge Investment Research since 2003 and 2005, respectively. Her past registrations include Trusted Advisors, Capitol Securities Management, GR Phelps & Company Sun Investment Services, and New York Life Securities Corporation. Her credentials include the passage of eight securities industry qualifying exams: the Operations Professional Exam, or Series 99TO; the Securities Industry Essentials Examination, or SIE; the General Securities Principal Examination, or Series 24; the General Securities Representative Examination, or Series 7; the Direct Participation Programs Representative Examination, or Series 22; the Investment Company Products/Variable Contracts Representative Examination, or Series 6; the Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination, or Series 65; and the Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination, or Series 63. She holds 32 state licenses. (Information current as of March 5, 2025.)

Carlson Law represents investors throughout the United States in claims against financial advisors and investment firms. 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.