Category: Annuities Fraud

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Hidden Charges and Penalties in Annuities Are you someone who purchased an annuity while over the age of 60 in the State of California during the past year? Have you suffered from surrender charges due to that annuity? Many people have. And often senior purchasers of annuities are […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Beware Annuity Scams Agents Target Seniors Salesmen masquerading as “advisors” or “planners” run annuity scams every day in this country. Their favorite targets are seniors. Seniors make up 30 percent of fraud victims, according to consumer advocacy groups and we suspect the percentage would be much higher if […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Why You Should Think Twice About Annuities Annuities Annuities are a hot topic these days as one of our largest generations ages into retirement. The big question that they seem to have is: how do I ensure that I will not outlive my money? That is, how do […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Big Commissions on Unsuitable Annuity Exchanges FINRA Cracking Down Annuity salesman love to promote annuity exchanges, urging clients to swap one annuity for another. Big commissions incentivize salesmen for deals unsuitable to clients. For years, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has warned investors about the risks of […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Beware Annuity Sales Hype Always Think About Taxes Incomplete information is worse than none at all, particularly when it comes to annuities and taxes. The attached article is an example of incomplete sales talk; the salesman leaves out the most important component of sound retirement planning: tax deferral. […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER FINRA Gives Individual $1 Million for Annuity Fraud Annuity Fraud Annuity fraud, especially targeting seniors, is a growing problem. Complex annuities are often sold to individuals as retirement investments when they are, in fact, an insurance product often wholly unsuitable to a client’s portfolio or future financial needs. […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER The Insatiable Appetite for Commissions Broker Stops At Nothing For Commission Dollars Sales commissions in the life insurance/annuity business are big. Typically, annuity commissions hover at 10% and whole life commissions much higher, at least in the first year of premium payments. In a recent case, a broker […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Annuity Sales Commissions: A Closer Look Broker Dealers Cracking Down Annuity sales generate large commissions, often around 10% or more of premium. And the size of the commission is only part of the story. The well-kept secret (among salespeople) is that the longer the surrender charge period (i.e., […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER The Terrible Truth of Annuities Annuities A lot of people are talked into annuities as a way to save for retirement. Please think twice (or three times) before you are sold an annuity. As more and more people, seniors particularly, end up with annuities, it becomes clear that […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Annuity Fraud: A Widespread Problem Beware of Annuity Fraud Scams Annuity agents target seniors. It’s a simple fact. Another simple fact: many annuity agents cannot be trusted. A recent case provides a clear example. There, over years of operation, two fraudulent agents bilked seniors out of $11 million […]