Annuity perks: Corrupting the business or moving it forward?
People either love or hate U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. Both sentiments became even more fervent in late April 2015 when she announced her investigation into ... Read more
Harry J. Lew
Relearning the Neasham Lesson: Client incapacity still a big threat
It’s been several years now since Glenn Neasham, a California financial advisor, was arrested and convicted of selling an annuity to a woman who was later ... Read more
Blowing the whistle on fraudsters: What’s your ethical duty?
For just about every financial scam that comes to light, we’re willing to bet the following is true: The telltale fraud signs were visible to ... Read more
Apology accepted: How to really make amends with customers
As a financial advisor, you’ve no doubt made your fair share of mistakes. And hopefully you’ve apologized to your client(s) afterward and promised to make ... Read more
E&O on the Fly, Part 2: Quick quiz highlights what you need to know about exclusions
As a financial advisor, you probably know a great deal about insurance. Consequently, you understand why life and health insurers must exclude certain losses in ... Read more
Variable Annuity Hot Spots: Compliance Tips for the Cautious Advisor
Do you sell a lot of variable annuities? Then you surely know they attract regulatory scrutiny like magnets pick up metal shavings. The good news ... Read more
The Perils of Puffery: Guidance on Plagiarism and Ghostwriting
If your marketing brochure claimed you were the best financial advisor in America, few people would believe you, since there’s no practical way to compare ... Read more
Trust’s poison pill: Why conflicts of interest are an advisor’s worst medicine
If client trust is the nutrient that builds healthy financial-services careers, then conflicts of interest are the poison that kills them. Financial manufacturers have given ... Read more
E&O on the fly: Essential buying knowledge for busy advisors, Part 1
Insurance agents, financial planners, and investment advisors are highly skilled at understanding how financial instruments work. They are accustomed to doing due diligence on a ... Read more
Are robo-advisors winning? Time to play the ethics card
Are human financial advisors engaged in a life-or-death struggle with Internet-based investment services, also known as “robo-advisors”? If you read the industry trade press, you’d ... Read more
