CommonSense InvestSense
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CommonSense InvestSense- Variable Annuities: Estate Planning Saboteurs August 23, 2018As a wealth preservation attorney, my practice involves various areas of the law including investment portfolio analysis, asset protection, risk management and estate planning. Three primary wealth saboteurs are investment portfolio mismanagement, tax erosion, and personal liability exposure. I recently … Continue reading →investsense
- Setting the Record Straight on Asset Allocation July 21, 2018One of the “dirty little secrets” of the investment industry is to deliberately misrepresent the findings of a study on the importance of asset allocation. The study, commonly referred to as the BHB study after the three gentleman who conducted … Continue reading →investsense
- InvestSense’s Comments on SEC “Best Interest” Proposal July 20, 2018The Securities and Exchange Commission is currently seeking public comments on its “Best Interest” (BI) proposal. The proposal would reportedly provide a standard of conduct for anyone providing financial services to the public. The standard would supposedly protect investors from … Continue reading →investsense
- 1+1=33%, or the Myth of the 1% Annual Investment Fee July 11, 2018This post is going to be short and sweet, as I keep getting calls and emails from people who wonder why their portfolios are not performing as well as they think they should. In most cases, their portfolios are the … Continue reading →investsense
- The Active Management Value Ratio™ 3.0: Investment Returns and Wealth Preservation for Investors and Fiduciaries January 17, 2018Studies have consistently shown that people are more likely to understand and retain information that is conveyed visually rather than verbally or in print. I regularly receive requests for copies of the Powerpoint slides. So for those of you that … Continue reading →investsense
- Transparency Is the Best Disinfectant: Four Key Questions Every Investor and 401(k) Plan Participant Should Ask September 25, 2017Sunlight is the best disinfectant. – Justice Louis Brandeis The ongoing attempts by the Department of Labor (DOL) and Congress to delay or completely reverse the DOL’s fiduciary rule sends a clear message to pension plan sponsors and plan participants … Continue reading →investsense
- Wealth Preservation and Retirement Accounts July 14, 2017When I tell people that I am a wealth preservation attorney, they often respond by saying that they do not have enough money to need such services. Then I ask them whether they have a 401(k) account, an IRA or … Continue reading →investsense
- The New DOL Fiduciary Rule – Effective June 9, 2017 June 7, 2017On June 9, 2017, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) new fiduciary rule (Rule), or at least parts of same, go into effect for retirement plans covered by the Employees’ Retirement Income Security Act, commonly known as ERISA. The Rule was … Continue reading →investsense
- The Investor Revolution: A “Best Interests” Checklist for Investors and Fiduciaries May 28, 2017The DOL recently announced that it will not seek to delay the effective date of the department’s new fiduciary law. Beginning June 9, 2017, anyone providing advice to pension plans and plan participants will be deemed to be a fiduciary, … Continue reading →investsense
- Controlling the Controllable: Factoring Investment Costs Into the Prudence/Suitability Equation May 10, 2017Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. – Aldous Huxley In an earlier post, I discussed the benefits of controlling the controllable aspects of investing. Investors cannot control the performance of the markets. Investment fiduciaries are not … Continue reading →investsense
- Variable Annuities: Estate Planning Saboteurs August 23, 2018
Tag Archives: black box investment fraud
Put Up or Shut Up!
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continues to delay action on a proposed universal fiduciary standard that would require anyone providing investment advice to always put a customer’s best interests first. While investment advisers are currently required to put a … Continue reading
Posted in Fiduciary, Investment Advice, Investment Fraud, Investor Protection, pension plans, Portfolio Construction, Retirement Planning, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation
Tagged abusive practices, asset protection, black box investment fraud, Fiduciary, financial planning, investing, investment advice, investment portfolios, investment scams, investments, investor protection, InvestSense, retirement plan participants, retirement planning, stockbrokers, wealth management, wealth preservation
Avoiding Costly “Closet” Index Funds
I am a member of the Paladin Registry, a select group of attorneys and investment advisers dedicated to educate investors so that they can better protect themselves against investment fraud and other questionable activity by the investment industry. You can … Continue reading
Posted in Asset Protection, Investment Advice, Investment Advisors, Investment Fraud, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement, Retirement Plan Participants, Retirement Planning, Uncategorized, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation
Tagged 401k, 401k Investing, abusive practices, Active Management Value Ratio, asset protection, black box investment fraud, Fiduciary, financial interests, financial planning, investment advice, investment advisors, investment losses, investment portfolios, investment scams, investments, investor protection, InvestSense, portfolio construction, retirement plan participants, retirement planning, stockbrokers, wealth management, wealth preservation
1 + 1 = 34: The True Impact of Mutual Fund Fees
One of the most common mistakes I see investors make is failing to understand the true cost of investment fees. Many investors dismiss an annual management fee of 1 percent as “just” 1 percent. Just as investment returns compound over … Continue reading
Posted in ERISA, Fiduciary, Investment Advice, Investment Advisors, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, pension plans, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Retirement, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation
Tagged 401k, 401k Investing, abusive practices, Active Management Value Ratio, Advice, asset protection, black box investment fraud, Fiduciary, financial planning, investing, investment advice, investment advisors, investment portfolios, investment scams, investments, investor protection, IRAs, Pension Planning, Pensions, portfolio construction, retirement plan participants, retirement planning, stockbrokers, wealth management, wealth preservation
The Power of the Informed Investor
“Your account is a brokerage account and not an advisory account. Our interests may not always be the same as yours. Please ask us questions to make sure you under-stand your rights and our obligations to you, including the extent … Continue reading
Posted in Fiduciary, Investment Advice, Investment Advisors, Investment Fraud, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, Variable Annuities, Variable Annuity Abuse, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation
Tagged abusive practices, asset protection, black box investment fraud, Fiduciary, financial interests, investing, investment advice, investment advisors, investment losses, investments, investor protection, stockbrokers, variable annuities, variable annuity abuse, wealth management, wealth preservation
Financial Planning vs. Financial Plans
Many financial planners charge $5,000 or more to develop a retirement plan, or a five-year plan, for you and your family. You will receive a nice, thick brochure with numbers in it. Separate each page carefully. You now have a … Continue reading
Posted in Asset Protection, Investment Advice, Investment Advisors, Investment Fraud, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement, Retirement Distribution Planning, Retirement Planning, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation
Tagged 401k, 401k Investing, asset protection, black box investment fraud, financial interests, financial planning, investing, investment advice, investment losses, investment portfolios, investment scams, investor protection, InvestSense, portfolio construction, retirement planning, stockbrokers, wealth management, wealth preservation
“CommonSense InvestSense™”…Account Management
“Don’t gamble. Take all your savings and buy some good stock and hold it ’til it goes up then sell it. If it don’t go up, don’t buy it. Will Rogers If only it were that easy. While no one … Continue reading
Posted in Asset Protection, Investment Advice, Investment Advisors, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, Portfolio Construction, Retirement, Retirement Planning, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation
Tagged 401k Investing, abusive practices, Active Management Value Ratio, asset protection, black box investment fraud, Closet Index Funds, financial planning, investing, investment advice, investment advisors, investment losses, investment portfolios, investment scams, investments, investor protection, InvestSense, portfolio construction, retirement planning, wealth distribution, wealth management, wealth preservation
Wealth Preservation Saboteurs
“Get what you can and keep what you have; that’s the way to get rich.” Scottish Proverb In a series of earlier posts, I discussed the three planning areas that I believe constitute real wealth management – wealth accumulation, wealth … Continue reading
Posted in Asset Protection, Investment Fraud, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement, Retirement Distribution Planning, Retirement Plan Participants, Retirement Planning, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation
Tagged 401k, 401k Investing, asset protection, black box investment fraud, financial planning, investing, investment portfolios, investments, investor protection, InvestSense, Pension Planning, portfolio construction, retirement plan participants, retirement planning, wealth preservation
