ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Beware Fixed Index Annuities Phantom Bonuses With over $200 billion in annual sales the annuity industry is big business. Annuities come in a variety of forms, all of which are complex.  Indexed annuities (sometimes branded “fixed indexed annuities”) are particularly complex.  Agents push them in volatile markets, claiming […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Market Manipulation and Pump and Dump Schemes Fraudulent Schemes Often Target Seniors Coordinated securities fraud schemes can involve concealed offshore accounts, fake news press releases, high-pressure (“boiler room”) sales calls, pump and dump maneuvers, money laundering, and more. Schemers target seniors because seniors have more money to invest […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Elder Abuse Is An Epidemic San Mateo County Government Addresses the Problem Elder abuse is a real problem in San Mateo County, throughout California and the rest of country. Here in San Mateo County the problem is growing as the County’s population ages; the County Health Department predicts […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER “Boomeranging” Nursing Home Residents “When in doubt, ship them out” is an all too unfortunate saying in nursing homes. The saying refers to a common nursing home practice of shipping residents to hospitals for non-clinical reasons, chiefly that the patient may need slightly more care than the nursing […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Plan Retirement Investments With Care Avoid Deferred Annuities With Steep Surrender Charges and Certain Types of Life Insurance The closer you get to retiring the more you try and save for the future. While saving as much as you can is important, where you put those savings is […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Securities Fraud on Seniors Securities Law and Elder Law Violations All California consumers are potential victims of securities fraud but seniors are at greatest risk. Unscrupulous brokers and promoters target seniors because they have more money to invest for one thing.  But seniors may also be easier targets […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Elder Abuse in Alameda County Most Reported Cases are for Financial Elder Abuse Elder abuse is a real problem in Alameda County and throughout California. Although elder abuse takes different forms (physical, financial, neglect, psychological, etc.), over 70% of reported cases in Alameda County involve financial elder abuse.  […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Understanding Immediate Annuities An immediate annuity is an insurance contract where the policyholder makes a single lump-sum payment and begins receiving back almost immediately regular income payments. Imagine, for example, you’re over 60 and sell your home and decide to put some or all of the proceeds into […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Understanding Riders in Annuities The Death Benefit Rider Sales Pitch Riders are endorsements added to annuity contracts sold to enhance the benefits payable under those contracts. There are several types of riders, two of the most common being income riders and death benefit riders.  We have written on […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Large Whistleblower Settlement For Illegal Upcoding False claims for inflated Medicare reimbursements (sometimes in the form of “upcoding”) are a common fraud against the government. Under the False Claims Act, whistleblowers initiate the majority of recovery actions against companies for submitting such inflated claims. The California and San Francisco […]