Tag Archives: investor protection

Wells Fargo, Bank Cross-Selling and Your Right to Privacy

By now, most people are familiar with Wells Fargo and the illegal activities they engaged in by creating fictitious accounts to misrepresent their financial operations. What Wells Fargo did is wrong for a number of reasons, including inflating the price … Continue reading

Posted in Asset Protection, Consumer Protection, Consumer Rights, Investment Advice, Investor Protection, Life Advice, Right to Privacy, Variable Annuities, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New eBook Now Available

My new eBook, “CommonSense InvestSense: New Strategies for Accumulating and Preserving Wealth,” is now available at amazon.com.

Posted in Common Sense, Investment Advisors, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, IRA, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement, Retirement Distribution Planning, Retirement Plan Participants, Retirement Planning, Variable Annuities, Variable Annuity Abuse, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Distribution, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Three Return “Secrets” to Improved Investment Performance: Interpreting Investment Returns

A 2007 study by Schwab Institutional estimated that approximately 75 percent of investor accounts they studied were unsuitable as being inconsistent with either an investor’s financial goals or financial needs.  While one might expect widespread denial of the study’s findings, … Continue reading

Posted in Absolute Returns, Closet Index Funds, Investment Advice, Investment Advisors, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Uncategorized, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is Your 401(k) or 403(b) Really Protecting Your Best Interests?

Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. Aldous Huxley I have seen a number of articles recently online and in the trade publication I receive talking about “retirement readiness,”how to better prepare a plan’s participants for a … Continue reading

Posted in Common Sense, ERISA, Fiduciary, Investment Advice, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, IRA, pension plans, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Retirement, Retirement Plan Participants, Retirement Planning, Uncategorized, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Four Things Every Investor and Fiduciary Should Remember-2016

The abundance of investment products and investment information available today can be intimidating and confusing to many investors, both novice and professional. Without question, the most common questions I get from people are how to properly manage their investment portfolios … Continue reading

Posted in Fiduciary, Investment Advice, Investment Advisors, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement Planning, Variable Annuities, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Outing “closet index” funds

Canada is finally investigating the issue of recommendations and sales of “closet index” funds. The same problem exists in the U.S., but don’t hold your breath expecting U.S. regulators to address the problem. A closet index fund is also referred to … Continue reading

Posted in Asset Protection, ERISA, Fiduciary, Investment Advice, Investment Advisors, Investment Fraud, Investor Protection, pension plans, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement, Retirement Plan Participants, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Those “Great” Stable Value Funds Exposed

So many 401(k) plans and plan participants have fallen in love with these products without truly understanding how they work, especially how they can benefit the companies offering them at the plan participant’s expense. This Morningstar article by Scott Simon … Continue reading

Posted in Common Sense, ERISA, Fiduciary, Investment Advice, Investment Fraud, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, pension plans, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Retirement, Retirement Plan Participants, Retirement Planning, Uncategorized, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Nuff Said

While I enjoy writing and providing educational information to investors, sometimes you have to defer to others more eloquent than yourself. I openly admit to being a fan of Charles Ellis. As I have mentioned in this blog, I believe … Continue reading

Posted in Asset Protection, Common Sense, Investment Advice, Investment Advisors, Investment Fraud, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, IRA, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

3 Things Every 401(k) Participant and Plan Sponsor Should Know – 2017

As a wealth preservation attorney, one of the primary issues I address is the quality of a client’s investment portfolio. Far too often I see excellent estate planning strategies sabotaged by horribly unsuitable investment portfolios. Since many estate planning strategies … Continue reading

Posted in ERISA, Fiduciary, Investment Advice, Investment Advisors, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, pension plans, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement Planning, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Stable Value Funds and Disclosure Issue Regarding Fees

While I like to post original content for my blog, sometimes I run across articles that just say it as well, sometimes better, than I could. This article from Morningstar presents evidence on Stable value funds that every investor should … Continue reading

Posted in Asset Protection, ERISA, Fiduciary, Investment Advice, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, pension plans, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Retirement, Retirement Plan Participants, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment