ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Court-Appointed Fiduciaries Wield Great Power Potential for Abuse of Power Court-appointed conservators and other fiduciaries (such as guardians or trustees) wield enormous power over the dependent individuals and properties they are appointed to manage and protect. Court appointments supersede earlier Powers of Attorney, trustee nominations and the like […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Annuity Salesmen Target Seniors Avoid the “Free Lunch” Commission-driven insurance agents target seniors and retirement savers with all kinds of complicated annuities especially in volatile markets. There’s an inherent conflict in their sales pitch because what’s best for the agent isn’t necessarily what’s best for the consumer. One […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Internal Revenue Service Rewards Whistleblowers Whistleblower Award Base Increases Foreign Bank Account Reporting Requirements Tax season is here, the government has re-opened, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is back to business. IRS business includes catching tax fraud and whistleblowers play a major role in enforcement and receive […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Preventing Financial Exploitation of Seniors Tips on What to Watch For Some $2.9 billion is taken from older Americans every year, with victims numbering in the millions. Older persons with Alzheimer’s or other cognitive impairment are especially at risk.  The Marin County and California financial elder abuse attorneys […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER What are Riders? Riders are attachments to deferred annuities sold by agents as enhanced benefits. They come with an additional fee added to your base premium. Available riders include income riders, long-term care riders, death benefit riders and other policy “enhancements.”  All of these add-ons are expensive and […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Creating and Amending Trusts Many Californians, especially seniors, create trusts to hold their assets in part to avoid a lengthy probate process following death. The trusts may be fully revocable by the individual creating the trust (known as the “settlor”) or irrevocable during the settlor’s lifetime.  If revocable, […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Annuity Scams Targeted At Seniors Annuity Fraud On average, a senior victimized by financial elder abuse loses over $140,000. That level of monetary loss is devastating.  Unscrupulous insurance agents are among the financial predators on seniors, selling them unsuitable annuities and life insurance that line agents’ pockets with […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Securities and Exchange Commission Pays Out Millions in Whistleblower Awards Whistleblower information about securities law violations can result in big rewards for the whistleblower when the whistleblower brings the information to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Since 2011, the SEC has paid out hundreds of millions of […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Policyholder Risks on Universal Life Insurance Hitting Seniors Hardest A hidden risk that premiums can skyrocket lies in universal life insurance. Unlike term and whole life insurance, universal life policies allow flexible premium payments but those payments can increase dramatically over time leaving consumers with the poor choice […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Beware Fixed Index Annuities Phantom Bonuses and Other Downsides Insurance agents and financial advisors use this low interest rate/volatile stock market environment to push fixed indexed annuities, particularly on seniors or persons getting close to retirement and concerned about future income levels. Agents claim the contracts offer the […]