ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER FINRA cracks down on Variable Annuities Understanding Annuities In the wake of another round of FINRA crackdowns on variable annuity sales, it’s becoming increasingly clear that nobody knows how annuities work: not consumers, who have been tricked into buying products that lock their money into risky investments, and […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER New FINRA Rules Aim to Curb Financial Elder Abuse The Background Financial elder abuse is a problem that’s increasingly coming to the attention of California and federal regulators, and the new rules issued by FINRA last month are one of the latest moves to stem the tide of […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Long Term Care Insurance As America’s population continues to age, one type of insurance that has begun to seem very desirable is long term care insurance. This is designed to help seniors hedge their bets against the rising and potentially savings-draining cost of living in a retirement community, […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Selling Annuities to Seniors The way that financial advisors feel about annuities can be summed up by the adage “annuities aren’t bought, they’re sold.” Annuities are often presented by brokers as being retirement lifesavers, and claim that they are essential to making up the shortfall from savings and […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER A major concern that our annuity fraud attorneys have with annuity products is the obfuscated means by which insurance companies try to squeeze some extra revenue out of their clients. In order to make their products appear more lucrative, they often advertise high base return rates, only to […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Misleading Annuity Illustrations When seniors go to a financial advisor, they often aren’t specifically looking for an annuity. They want to protect their savings, and ensure that they can find a way to make their savings last through their retirement. A financial advisor often sees this as an […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Changing Guarantees in Variable Annuities The new Department of Labor rule that requires annuity brokers to act as fiduciaries has sent ripples throughout the industry. Although the rule doesn’t go into full effect until 2018, insurance companies are scrambling to find ways to adapt to (or circumvent) the […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Whole Life Insurance and Retirement As the Baby Boomer generation starts reaching retirement age, insurance and annuity brokers are gearing up their sales to seniors and the elderly. Ads, mailers, and aggressive sales practices have helped convince a large portion of the senior population that their savings aren’t […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Investment Fraud and SEC Investigations As financial advisors warn about the “retirement shortfall” that is facing many retirees, seniors are coming under increased pressure to buy financial products, leverage assets like their homes, and find other ways to make their money last. One of the riskiest choices seniors […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER News Rules in Qui Tam Legislation The False Claims Act is a venerable statute of the U.S. Government, dating back to the Civil War. Originally targeted at preventing the rampant fraud plaguing the union army, over the years it has come to be used more broadly, allowing individual […]