Who Can You Trust With Your Money?: Get the Help You Need Now and Avoid Dishonest Advisors

Description

• Copyright 2010
• Pages: 224
• Edition: 1st

• EPUB (Watermarked)
• ISBN-10: 0-13-703366-4
• ISBN-13: 978-0-13-703366-9

Bonus content "Getting the Financial Help You Need" included in this digital edition.

Is Your Financial Advisor Honest? Are You Sure?

Learn how to:

• Choose an honest, qualified financial advisor and avoid the crooks
• Spot the warning signs that you’re being ripped off
• Empower and protect yourself, and get more help for your money

Is your financial advisor the next Bernie Madoff? Can you afford not to know? Get this book, and find out! Read Bonnie Kirchner’s unforgettable personal story: Her sudden realization that she was married to one of the nation’s worst financial fraud artists. Then, follow Kirchner’s journey…learn what she learned about detecting financial scammers…discover the questions you must ask and the steps you must take so it never happens to you!

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Sample Content

Table of Contents

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii

Chapter 1 Recent Investment Scams . . . 1

Bradford C. Bleidt . . . 1

Bernard Madoff . . . 8

Chapter 2 What Is Financial Planning? . . . 15

Chapter 3 The Meaning Behind Advisor Designations and Licenses . . . 21

Chapter 4 Advisor Compensation . . . 31

Chapter 5 Deciphering Fee Structures . . . 35

Portfolio Development and Asset Management . . . 35

Financial Planning . . . 36

Stocks, Bonds, and Exchange Traded Funds . . . 36

Mutual Funds . . . 37

Variable Annuities . . . 39

Indexed Annuities . . . 41

Insurance . . . 41

Chapter 6 Finding Additional Fees . . . 43

Managed and/or Brokerage . . . 43

Variable Annuities . . . 44

Mutual Funds . . . 45

Exchange Traded Funds and Index Funds . . . 46

Chapter 7 Financial Products and Advisor Compensation . . . 47

Investment-Related . . . 48

Insurance Coverage . . . 49

Financial Planning . . . 50

Chapter 8 Statements, Communications, and the “Dreaded” Prospectus . . . 51

Statements . . . 51

Prospectuses—Mutual and Exchange Traded Funds . . . 53

Shareholder Updates and Annual Reports . . . 55

Prospectuses—Variable Annuities . . . 56

Standard Charges (on Most Contracts) . . . 56

Rider Electives . . . 57

Proxy Materials . . . 57

Chapter 9 The Roles of Various Financial Institutions . . . 59

Investments in Insurance Products . . . 61

Investment Management and Investment Product Sales . . . 63

The Broker/Dealer . . . 63

The Custodian . . . 64

The Federal Deposit Insurance Company . . . 65

The Securities Investment Protection Corporation (SIPC) . . . 66

Chapter 10 Understanding What You Need . . . 67

Chapter 11 Choosing Advisors to Consider . . . 77

Chapter 12 Choosing Candidates to Interview . . . 81

Chapter 13 Interviewing Candidates . . . 85

Preparing for the Meeting . . . 85

During the Meeting . . . 92

After the Meeting . . . 97

Chapter 14 Spotting Red Flags: Advisors to Avoid . . . 101

The Name and Information Gathering Phase . . . 101

During the Meeting . . . 104

After the Meeting . . . 106

Advisors to Avoid . . . 107

Chapter 15 The Rules of Engagement . . . 111

Chapter 16 Maintenance of the Advisor–Client Relationship . . . 127

Chapter 17 Activity . . . 131

Chapter 18 Accessibility . . . 135

Chapter 19 The Dysfunctional Relationship . . . 137

Chapter 20 Criminal Versus Non-Criminal Behavior . . . 143

Chapter 21 Filing a Complaint . . . 149

Appendix A Consumer Resources . . . 155

Credit Ratings Agencies . . . 163

Appendix B Glossary . . . 167

Index . . . 187

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