Variable Annuities are one of the most misused and oversold financial products. A “new” VA has hit the market call the L-share. This annuity charges much higher fees in exchange for a lower ransom, I mean surrender charge. FINRA has reported that they have fined 8 separate firms a total of $6.2 million for failing…
Bad Advice Strikes Out
“Motivated blindness is when you don’t recognize facts that are sitting in front of you because they would be inconvenient for you to recognize,” – Scott Killingsworth This term perfectly defines the attempt by AXA Advisors to justify selling inappropriate retirement products to public school teachers. According to Tara Siegel Bernard, in the second part…
A Momentary Nuisance
Unfriending people on Facebook, moving to Canada, or changing a long-term portfolio because of an election are all awful ideas. We are in the midst of our tenth consecutive “most important election in our lifetime!” This nonsense is really starting to get old. We need to take a fresh approach. Hopefully this will dispel…
What You Allow Is What Will Continue
How do these guys sleep at night? In addition to pillaging the retirement accounts of public school teachers, Some large insurers prey on churches and charities. This is from Ron Lieber of The New York Times: He also reviewed the 403(b) plans of the nonprofits that had them. People who worked there were not sure…
A Year Ago Today
“Two roads diverged in a wood. And I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost Walking away from something that is comfortable and stable is a difficult decision. I did this twice in the last three years. The first time was resigning from a high-paying tenured…
Confusing Power With Greatness
“Hell, I never vote for anybody, I always vote against.” – W.C. Fields The American people are in dire need of “Change We Can Believe In”. It is quite obvious; the majority of Americans detest both political candidates. We will have change in 2016; the belief part is a whole other story. The partisans…
Helping Women Teachers Gain Confidence to Get in the Game
Dina here … For those of you who have been following The New York Times’ multi-part series on teacher’s retirement plans, it is truly disturbing what has been permitted to occur in the name of business at the expense of those with the noblest careers. The fact that women outnumber men in the teaching profession…
Please! Leave Your Political Views Out Of Retirement Plans
Our dysfunctional hyper-partisan culture has reached a new low. The New York Times has been accused of spreading “nonsense” for merely pointing out that many teachers (including some with children that have severe disabilities) are being cheated in their 403(b) plans. This “liberal bias” includes a group of educators who are being charged as much…
The Fox, The Wolf, and The Sheep
My friends, Dan Otter, and Scott Dauenhauer over at 403bwise have been fighting the good fight against the big insurers for as long as I can remember. In fact, their site inspired me to start our business. I thought I was the only one out there who saw these awful retirement products for what they are. My wife Dina…
Only In 403(b) Land Could You Find This
Some public school teachers are being charged 10% annual fees on their modest 403(b) plans. This is their vendor’s version of negative interest rates. Similar to depositors who pay banks to hold their money, teachers are charged for the “privilege” of earning a negative rate of return on their funds. The New York Times is exposing abuses…
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