Nadir Khan, CEO of BidnessEtc.com
Trust is the end product of legally executed documents.
Len Potter, Wildcat Capital Management
The best predators seem the most trustworthy.
Annuities Demystified in 3 Observations
Annuities are insurance products, often used for retirement planning. They’re popular with investors who want steady income. But talk about crazy complicated…and all the forms, forms, forms. I have one fifty-page annuity application that comes with its own DVD, which, for the record, doesn’t work on a MacBook Air. That’s why I took a few minutes to sketch out what annuities are really all about…
What Happens if My Client Gets Hacked?
Identity theft feels like a high-tech variation of the Malthusian catastrophe: This time, the growth of personal data is overwhelming our ability to protect it. Here’s one scary stat from Mark Goodman, author of Future Crimes. There’s a Russian crime syndicate with a database of 1.2 billion compromised user names.
How to Stop Identity Thieves from Filing Taxes in Your Name
At a party this weekend, I spoke with a friend who files taxes in one of the many states that’s been breached by identity thieves. As you might guess, the bad guys grabbed his personal information, filed a 1040 with the IRS, and claimed a refund using bogus information. My friend is diligent about Internet security. But his caution made no difference. Frustrating, right?
Take the Power of Attorney Test
Powers of attorney are critical to wealth management. They’re one of the five pillars of estate planning, the others being wills, revocable trusts, health-care POAs and what I like to call “pull-the-plug directives.” But what if they don’t work? What if financial institutions don’t accept them? Think I’m kidding? Guess again…
The Death of Secrets
“Over the long run, nothing is secret.” This quote comes from Jack Legare, the hero of my thriller in progress. He was talking about Wall Street. He could have been discussing “DarkLeaks.” Huh? I first learned about DarkLeaks through Hacker News. Think of it as a 24/7...
Client Money on Crack
If you’re a financial adviser, there’s nothing like securities-based loans to get clients to love you. Or to hate your guts when things don’t go as planned. I’m referring specifically to “non-purpose” credit secured by stocks, bonds, and other eligible assets. In...
Norb Vonnegut
The New York Times describes my novels as “money porn,” “a red-hot franchise,” and “glittery thrillers about fiscal malfeasance.” Through fiction I explore the dark side of money and the motivations of those who have it, want more, and will steamroll anybody who gets in their way.