Matthew N. Thibaut

Partner | Securities Litigation · Elder Financial Abuse · Investment Fraud Recovery

Matthew Thibaut is a partner at Haselkorn & Thibaut, P.A., where he focuses his practice on representing individual investors — including elder abuse victims — to recover investment losses across the country. With over 25 years of experience in securities litigation and arbitration, Matt has built a career on holding financial institutions accountable for unsuitable recommendations, broker misconduct, and fraudulent investment schemes.

Matt’s practice is defined by a single commitment: making injured investors whole. He handles claims involving equities, bonds, mutual funds, hedge funds, managed money, alternative investments, private placements, structured products, and variable annuities — and he pursues recovery through FINRA arbitration, AAA arbitration, JAMS arbitration, and state and federal court litigation.

Why Experience on Both sides Matters

Before dedicating his practice to representing investors, Matt gained invaluable experience working on securities matters from the defense perspective. That background means he understands how brokerage firms and their lawyers evaluate risk, build defenses, and decide when to settle — and he uses that understanding to every client’s advantage.

Matt has seen the full lifecycle of securities disputes: the initial complaint, the internal firm investigation, the FINRA filing, discovery, hearing preparation, and final award. He knows which arguments resonate with arbitrators and which defenses fall apart under scrutiny — because he has tested them from both sides of the table.

Focus on Elder Financial Abuse

A significant portion of Matt’s practice involves elder financial abuse and exploitation — one of the most underreported and devastating forms of investment fraud. Older investors are disproportionately targeted by unsuitable product recommendations, excessive trading, high-commission annuity swaps, and outright fraud. Matt has dedicated substantial time to identifying these patterns, building cases that demonstrate unsuitability and exploitation, and recovering assets for seniors and their families.

He is a recognized speaker on the intersection of securities law and elder exploitation, having presented to legal and professional audiences on topics including:

• Elder Abuse & Financial Exploitation — Continuing Education presentations
• Securities Law & Elder Exploitation Claims — Florida Bar Elder Law Section
• How to Identify Securities Claims — Continuing Education for financial professionals

This focus matters because elder abuse cases require specialized knowledge — not just of securities law, but of the specific products, sales practices, and supervisory failures that disproportionately affect older investors.

A Track Record of Substantial Recoveries

Matt approaches every case with thorough investigation and aggressive strategy. He takes cases he believes in and pursues them to maximum recovery.

Representative matters:

• Widow with dementia exploited through unsuitable annuity swaps — While caring for her husband dying of Parkinson’s disease, an elderly widow’s financial advisor converted millions of dollars of conservative investments into unsuitable insurance and annuity products. Working alongside the client’s new CPA and financial advisor, Matt identified all liability and damage issues and achieved a substantial recovery that restored the client’s financial security and peace of mind
• Retired couple rescued from unsuitable bond strategy — An elderly couple invested in bonds believing they were safe — instead, their advisor engaged in excessive trading of Puerto Rico bonds to generate commissions. Matt’s investigation revealed the overall strategy was unsuitable and commission-driven, resulting in a substantial recovery for the couple
• Professional client’s investments mishandled after medical diagnosis — A professional forced to stop working due to an unexpected medical diagnosis hired a financial advisor to protect her assets during a difficult time. The advisor ignored her specific instructions and followed the firm’s pre-fabricated portfolio instead. Matt recovered most of the unnecessary losses and helped restore the client’s financial stability
• CPA uncovers hidden investment losses — A CPA referred a client after noticing unusual realized losses. Matt’s deeper investigation uncovered substantial unrealized losses the client had not yet detected — and achieved a substantial recovery by working alongside the CPA and a new financial advisor

Each case is unique. Results vary based on specific facts, evidence, and damages. These examples do not guarantee any particular outcome in another case.

A Collaborative Approach That Protects the Full Picture

Matt is known for working closely with clients’ other professional advisors — CPAs, estate planning attorneys, tax advisors, and new financial advisors — to ensure that recovery is not just about the arbitration award, but about restoring the client’s overall financial health. Investment losses often cascade into tax complications, estate planning disruptions, and retirement shortfalls. Matt’s collaborative approach addresses all of these, not just the legal claim.

This is one reason CPAs, financial advisors, and estate planning attorneys across the country refer their clients to Matt — and why those referral relationships continue to strengthen over time.

Credentials & Recognition

Publications & Speaking

Matt is an active author and speaker on securities law, elder financial exploitation, and investor protection:

• “The Proverbial ‘Hold’ Recommendation: Is it Suitable or Is It Legally Actionable?” — Published in the Palm Beach Daily News, Estate Planning Edition
• Securities Arbitration Update for CPAs — CLMO Speaker Series
• Securities Arbitration Update for Lawyers and Accountants — Estate Planning Council presentations
• Elder Abuse & Financial Exploitation — Continuing Education
• Securities Law & Elder Exploitation Claims — Florida Bar Elder Law Section
• How to Identify Securities Claims — Continuing Education for financial professionals
• Evidence and Mandatory Arbitration — Palm Beach County Bar, Securities Section
• Defamation — Employment Section Webinar
• Human Resource & Employment Matters — 10,000 Small Businesses program

Practice Areas

• Securities Arbitration — FINRA, AAA, and JAMS arbitration for investment losses, unsuitable recommendations, and broker misconduct
• Investment Fraud Recovery — State and federal litigation for securities fraud, Ponzi schemes, and unsuitable alternative investments
• Elder Financial Abuse — Representing senior investors exploited through unsuitable products, excessive trading, annuity swaps, and brokerage firm supervision failures
• Common Law & Statutory Claims — Breach of fiduciary duty, negligence, fraud, and negligent supervision claims

Personal Commitment to Every Client

Matt finds the most fulfilling days are the ones spent directly with clients — helping them navigate what is often a difficult and emotional process, and ultimately recovering what was taken from them. That personal investment in each case is not just a philosophy. It is how the firm operates. Every client works directly with Matt, not a junior associate or a case manager.

If you or someone you know has suffered investment losses — especially if elder exploitation may be involved — Matt will give you an honest assessment of your options. If he takes your case, it means he believes in it — and he will fight for the maximum recovery from day one.

Call 1-888-885-7162 for a free, confidential consultation with Matt Thibaut, or contact us online.

Matthew N. Thibaut | Partner, Haselkorn & Thibaut, P.A. | Florida Bar No. 514918 | InvestmentFraudLawyers.com | No recovery, no fee