PSA: I was just letting my broker pick all my stocks for me.
My portfolio lost 15% last quarter and I finally looked at the trades. He was buying high-fee funds from his own company. What's a good way to check a broker's transaction history regularly?
Checking bank statements without permission is a huge breach of trust. It sets a bad precedent for the relationship, turning partners into detectives instead of teammates. A lot of regular spending could look bad out of context, like a hotel charge for a work trip or a gift purchase. If you can't talk about your worries directly, the relationship has bigger problems than a statement.
My buddy's wife did that to him last year. He had a charge from a jewelry store and she thought it was for another woman. Turned out he was getting her mom's watch fixed for her birthday. That kind of sneaking around just breaks things faster than any secret spending ever could. If you're at the point of checking statements, the trust is already gone. You either talk it out or call it quits.