ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER The Avlue and Drawbacks of Indexed Annuities As the Department of Labor’s more stringent annuity rules go into effect, major sellers of both fixed and variable annuities are having to compensate and adjust both their sales tactics and the contents of their policies. While a number of sellers […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Reviewing the Variable Annuity Annuities are financial products that are often fraught with complications, miscommunications, and disappointment for policyholders. When seniors or retirees initially buy the product, they are generally expecting that the annuity will be both a sound investment and a means of providing stress-free guaranteed income […]

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 […]

Re-Inventing the Wheel: traditional vs ‘Modern’ Annuities Annuities have been marketed to seniors as an essential retirement product for decades, and it’s easy to see why: put your lump sum in up front, and received guaranteed income, with interest, for the rest of your days. This is marketing pitch, and […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Deferred Income Annuity: good deal or bad investment? A Deferred Income Annuity can be thought of as an apple tree; the longer you wait to receive your apples, the bigger they are. We call that the crux of delayed gratification. However, if you die before the income starts, […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER A Consumer’s Guide to Understanding Financial Products It can be hard for anyone to navigate the complex market for financial products: life insurance, annuities, indices, stocks, bonds, hedge funds, Roths, IRAs, and many other esoteric options may seem like a good choice for investment when sold to you […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Understanding and Preventing Elder Abuse It’s becoming increasingly apparent that financial elder abuse is a serious concern not only to seniors and their families, but to society at large. A new study by Metlife suggests that financial abuse costs elders almost $3 Billion every year. This money is […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER New FINRA Rules Aim to Curb Financial Elder Abuse FINRA fines for the financial industry tripled in 2015, to over $18 million. Many attribute the increased fines to a new focus on Suitability requirements, which are designed to make brokers and financial planners take into account how the […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Legal Issues Surrounding an Aging Population Many of the major shifts in American society in the last half century can be attributed, directly or indirectly, to the baby boomer generation. It’s been known for years that as that generation ages, it will lead to major changes in employment, […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER The Costs and Risks of Nursing Home Care Paying for Low-Quality It’s well known that the cost of nursing home care can be ruinous to a family’s finances. Most families have trouble absorbing monthly residence fees that can approach $10,000, and it can drain an elders savings and […]