Our Team
Research Team
Every BrokerChecker review is conducted by our in-house team of financial analysts, compliance experts, and trading specialists. Each member brings direct industry experience and verified credentials.
James Whitfield
Senior Financial Analyst
James Whitfield brings over 15 years of experience in financial services regulation and compliance to BrokerChecker. He began his career as a compliance officer at a major US brokerage, where he gained firsthand knowledge of how regulated firms operate and where they cut corners. As lead investigator, James oversees our broker and platform evaluation process, focusing on regulatory verification, fee transparency, and operational integrity. His deep understanding of FINRA, SEC, and CFTC enforcement frameworks allows him to identify compliance gaps that other reviewers often miss.
Sarah Chen
Cryptocurrency Research Lead
Sarah Chen is a blockchain researcher and certified crypto analyst who leads BrokerChecker's cryptocurrency exchange and DeFi platform evaluations. With a Master's degree in Computer Science from Stanford, she combines deep technical expertise with a security-first approach to evaluating digital asset platforms. Sarah has published peer-reviewed research on smart contract vulnerabilities and exchange custody practices. Before joining BrokerChecker, she worked as a security auditor for blockchain projects, giving her unique insight into the technical safeguards that separate trustworthy exchanges from high-risk platforms.
Michael Torres
Consumer Protection Analyst
Michael Torres holds a JD from Georgetown University Law Center and spent four years as an analyst at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where he investigated fraudulent financial services targeting retail investors. His legal background and regulatory experience make him BrokerChecker's foremost expert on identifying deceptive practices, from binary options scams to unlicensed offshore brokers. Michael leads our fraud detection methodology and has been instrumental in flagging services that later faced enforcement action. He is a frequent contributor to consumer protection publications and financial literacy initiatives.
Dr. Rebecca Harmon
Regulatory Compliance Expert
Dr. Rebecca Harmon earned her PhD in Financial Regulation from the London School of Economics and served on the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) advisory panel for three years. Her academic and regulatory background gives her unparalleled expertise in cross-border compliance, licensing frameworks, and the practical implications of regulations like MiFID II and EMIR. At BrokerChecker, Rebecca evaluates the regulatory standing of international brokers and assesses the strength of their compliance infrastructure. Her work ensures that our regulatory assessments go beyond surface-level license checks to examine the true depth of a firm's compliance posture.
David Park
Trading Platform Specialist
David Park is a former quantitative trader who spent a decade at institutional trading desks before transitioning to platform evaluation and financial technology analysis. He holds the Certificate in Quantitative Finance (CQF) and a Master's in Financial Engineering from Columbia University. David's hands-on trading experience across equities, forex, and derivatives markets gives him a practitioner's perspective on platform quality, execution speed, and trading tool effectiveness. At BrokerChecker, he leads our platform UX assessments and conducts rigorous testing of execution quality, charting tools, and algorithmic trading capabilities.