ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Why You Should Reconsider Buying Whole Life Insurance Whole Life Insurance When it comes to life insurance, it is important to invest in the right one. But knowing which policies are best is not always easy to figure out. Oftentimes, people default to buying a whole life policy, […]

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 Brokers Avoiding Arbitration Awards Our Santa Clara FINRA arbitration attorneys make no secret about being opposed to binding arbitration clauses. Our attorneys, like many in the state of California, believes that requiring consumers to forego their right to a public trial and instead compelling them to air their […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Commissions and Kickbacks in the Annuity Market An oft-quoted truism in the financial industry is that some products are “sold, not bought.” This is especially true of annuities, a type of product that often seems to provide more of a benefit to the ¬¬company than to the consumer. […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Lowering Expectations for Variable Annuities Our Santa Clara annuity fraud attorneys have long considered annuities to be over-hyped products. Brokers earn large commissions for selling them, and are too often willing to massage or obscure the truth in order to make a sale. Among annuities, the variable and […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Retirement, 401(k) Accounts, and Annuities Although many consumers and seniors have heard of annuities, it’s not always obvious how prevalent they are in other financial products. Many “senior financial advisors,” claiming to offer specialized products and services for the elder population, try to sell bespoke blends of various […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Hybrid Long Term Care and Annuity Policies We’ve written before about the risks that long-term care policies and annuities can pose to seniors. All too often, the policies fail to live up to their inflated marketing materials, leaving seniors trying to make up a shortfall in their income, […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER AXA Annuities AXA is among the largest insurance companies both in the U.S. and international markets, and is among the top sellers of both annuity and life insurance policies. Like many insurance companies, a large portion of AXA’s policyholders are seniors, retirees, and the elderly. This market can […]