Category: Annuities Fraud

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Be Wary of Anti-Volatility Gimmicks On Monday, February 5, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by more than 1,179 points, the biggest daily point loss in its history. Although the market recovered, many investors, including seniors and those nearing retirement, understandably have the jitters.  In a volatile market, […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Be Wary of Annuity Sales Presentations Have you ever returned to your car in a shopping center parking lot to find a flyer on your windshield inviting you to a free lunch and estate planning seminar? Such tactics are often used by insurance agents to lure seniors especially […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER What to Expect From Your Financial Advisor Rules Governing Investment Recommendations Every day financial advisors recommend all kinds of investments to senior consumers in Santa Clara County and throughout California. Recommendations come from stock brokers, insurance agents, bankers, financial planners, and investment advisors.  Different government, industry and company […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Beware of Surrenders, Churns, Replacements, Twists, and Switches Whenever an insurance salesman or financial advisor recommends you replace or exchange an annuity you own, be sure to get a second opinion. Annuity replacements (also known as churns, exchanges, twists, or switches) often result in surrender penalties, new commissions, […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER The High Cost of Surrender Charges If you are over age 60, live in San Francisco or anywhere else in California, and have fully or partially surrendered a deferred annuity, you may have paid a surrender charge also called a surrender penalty or withdrawal charge. California law has […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER FINRA Cracking Down on Faulty Annuity Replacements Cracking Down on Exploitation The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is looking closely at brokers who churn their clients’ variable annuities. Recently, FINRA announced disciplinary measures against two brokers who churned client annuities.  The churns (or replacements) resulted in heavy surrender […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER RiverSource Life Insurance Company Deferred Annuities The annuity attorneys at Evans Law Firm Inc. represent clients who have suffered losses on all types of annuity contracts, including fixed, indexed, and variable deferred annuities. These contracts charge sales commissions, rider fees and other benefit charges, and penalties on full […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Complaints Over Hybrid Annuities What Are Hybrid Annuities? Hybrid annuities, often called buffer variable annuities or structured variable annuities, are complicated combinations of fixed and variable deferred annuities. Equity-indexed or Fixed-indexed annuities are also hybrid annuities.  Agents and issuers sell hybrids as “buffers” against market downturns with higher caps […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER What Duty Does An Agent Owe You? Putting You First We at Evans Law Firm litigate the question of an insurance agent’s duty to his clients, particularly when it comes to life insurance and/or annuities. We have written on the subject in this column.  As life insurance and […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Surrender Charges and Taxes Full or Partial Surrenders Whenever an insurance agent pitches a replacement of your existing annuity, think surrender charges and tax consequences. Surrender charges may be imposed on partial or full surrenders for up to ten years and beyond during the life of a policy. […]