Note 5 - Advances to Registered Representatives

9 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2014

Investments in and Advances to Affiliates, Schedule of Investments [Abstract]

Investments in and Advances to Affiliates, Schedule of Investments [Text Block]

NOTE 5. ADVANCES TO REGISTERED REPRESENTATIVES

Advances are given to certain registered representatives as an incentive for their affiliation with the Broker-Dealer Subsidiaries. The representative signs an independent contractor agreement with the Broker-Dealer Subsidiaries for a specified term, typically a three-year period. The advance is then amortized on a straight-line basis or based on a percentage of production over the life of the registered representative’s agreement with the Broker-Dealer Subsidiaries, and is included in commission expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. In the event a representative’s affiliation terminates prior to the fulfillment of their contract, the representative is required to repay the unamortized balance. At June 30, 2014 and September 30, 2013 there was approximately $232,000 and $13,000, respectively, of allowance for uncollectable amounts associated with these receivables.

An analysis of advances to registered representatives for the nine months ended June 30, 2014 is as follows:

	Advances to
	Registered
	Representative
Balance, October 1, 2013	$	811,000
Advances		1,109,000
Amortization or repayment of advances		(489,000	)
Provision for doubtful accounts		(232,000	)
Balance, June 30, 2014		1,199,000

There were no unamortized advances outstanding attributable to registered representatives who ended their affiliation with Broker-Dealer Subsidiaries prior to the fulfillment of their obligation.