Only the Paranoid Teachers Survive

Friends do not sell friends overpriced investment products or expensive insurance that they do not need. Unfortunately, too many teachers equate “nice guys” with being a good financial advisor. Using this as the sole criteria for choosing someone to manage your finances is a recipe for disaster. After reviewing dozens of horrendously expensive, ill-constructed, and…

Gate Keepers from Hell

The investment options contained in most 403(b) plans, in the words of the French, are ‘garbage’. The majority are chosen by conflicted Compliance Third Party Administrators (CTPAs) who are paid by the vendors or, incredibly, even owned by them! Pseudo “preferred provider lists” are created and teachers become cannon fodder for greedy, large insurance companies…

Annuities of Mass Destruction

Unlike the evasive WMD’s that were never found in the Iraqi desert, expensive and inappropriate annuities are all the rage in many teachers retirement plans. This practice must be stopped before the retirement dreams of many educators are blown to smithereens. William Bernstein, one of the sharpest minds in the investment world once stated,…

Revenge of the Teachers

My name is Tony Isola. My message is crystal clear. I am sick and tired of seeing teachers being ripped off in their retirement plans. I have reached my breaking point. This ends today. Right now! This travesty has largely been ignored by the financial media and grossly under-served by the adviser community Our mission…

403beware !

Rodney Dangerfield received “no respect” from his son in the 1986 film “Back to School”. Thankfully, the actor who played his son inhabits parts unknown, but the lack of respect for teachers’ finances is very much prevalent. Most teachers are modern-day versions of Rodney Dangerfield based on the way they have been treated by the…

“Holy, My 403(b) Plan Is Not Free, Batman!”

The reason most teachers do not have low-cost index funds in their 403(b) plans is because they are too inexpensive. Financial salespeople have little incentive to sell a product when they will receive a small percentage of a number like 0.10%, the cost of a typical total market index product. On the other hand, provide…