ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Fiduciary Rule No Longer Restraining Brokers Unfortunately, President Obama’s initiative to protect consumers from financial advisors who put their own interests before those of their clients has been destroyed by the current administration. Turning its back on consumers, the Trump Administration stalled and then rejected entirely the Department of Labor’s “fiduciary rule” […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER The Trouble With Annuity Replacements Churning Annuities In shifting economic climates, insurance agents often recommend replacement of old annuity or whole or universal life insurance policies with promises of better, newer products. For most policyholders, especially seniors, replacements are inappropriate because they are expensive, can trigger tax liabilities, […]

As the American population ages and more and more seniors enter nursing homes and other assisted living facilities, elder abuse, specifically nursing home abuse, has become an increasingly urgent national concern. In order to expose nursing home abuse to the proper authorities, many states and the federal government require certain […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER False Claims Act Cases Against Healthcare Industry Government Whistleblower Awards Increasing Whistleblowers initiate over 80% of all healthcare fraud cases brought under the False Claims Act in this country. Historically, the government has recovered over $30 billion in these actions and paid out close to $5 billion in […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Government Investigations of Nursing Home Abuse in California In California, anyone with complaints about nursing homes can file a complaint with the Licensing and Certification Division of the California Department of Public Health (DPH). Nursing home residents and their loved ones can file complaints of abuse, neglect, or […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Beware of Pump and Dump Schemes With Microcap Stocks Our securities fraud lawyers have written before in this column about pump and dump schemes and penny stocks. In a pump and dump, fraudsters artificially run up share prices (pump) and then dump the shares on the market down […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Broker Pushed More Expensive Variable Annuities L-Share and B-Share Variable Annuities Not all variable annuities are the same. Carriers offer B-share contracts with long surrender charge periods and L-share policies with shorter surrender periods but higher fees and commissions.  Both types of variable annuities may be inappropriate for […]

A reverse mortgage is a financial product that is available to homeowners aged 62 and older that allows them to convert part of their home equity into cash. Seniors strapped for cash may believe a reverse mortgage is the answer.  But reverse mortgages are expensive: origination fees and closing costs […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Preventing Fraud and Abusive Practices Know Your Adviser Before You Buy Knowing who to trust for professional financial advice may be the most important step for consumers, especially seniors, when turning to an adviser for financial planning help. The San Francisco and California securities fraud and financial elder […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Wandering: A Real Danger With Alzheimer’s Sufferers Wandering (also known as elopement) is a common behavior for older persons suffering from dementia, especially those with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease impairs memory and those with impaired memory are often disoriented and incapable of recognizing their surroundings or finding their […]