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 […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER FINRA Cracking Down on Bad Brokers Cracking Down on Exploitation The financial industry continues housecleaning with a tough new approach toward brokers with a record of customer disputes. The financial industry largely polices itself through the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Last week, FINRA announced plans to crack […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER FINRA Senior Hotline Calls Lead to Help There are lots of unsavory people out there preying on senior citizens. Too often, the swindlers are financial advisors, insurance agents or brokers and bankers. People you should be able to trust. The reality is far different. Each year advisors, brokers […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER FINRA Puts the Onus on Financial Advisors to Fight Elder Abuse Financial Elder Abuse Financial elder abuse is a crime that does not seem to be slowing down, and it is causing intense financial burden on those individuals affected. Regulatory agencies such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER FINRA Arbitration Shuts Down Broker Material Misrepresentations Oftentimes, individuals who invest their money also invest their trust. When they hand over their money, they assume that their broker or financial advisor is going to make decisions that will benefit the investor: personally, financially, and beyond. But what happens […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Protections Seniors from Investment Fraud The Origin of Investment Fraud In this age of “Retirement Shortfalls” and rising costs of seniors living, the elderly often feel under increased pressure not to be a burden on their families, and to try to leave something behind when the pass on. […]

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 FINRA levies $25 Million Fine Against Metlife FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, recently brought down the hammer on Metlife, in the form of the second largest penalty in the history of the agency. Although Metlife did not admit to wrongdoing in the settlement, the core of FINRAs […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER New FINRA Rules aim to protect victims of Financial Elder Abuse FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, is planning to roll out a new set of rules aimed at curbing the financial abuse of elders, which has become an increasing problem in the last few decades. Theft, scams, […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Arbitration is the most widely used form of conflict resolution in the securities industry, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) operates the largest dispute resolution forum in the industry. The customer is nearly always bound by a customer agreement to resolve disputes through arbitration. San Francisco securities […]