Monday, August 17, 2009

Scams, Fraud and Sales Predators

Scams, Fraud and Sales Predators

“Fighting back, the customers researched the company and learned its president, Michael F. Cummings, also operated a fence company under the name Safeguard Fence Inc. The Better Business Bureau of Northeast Florida gives Safeguard Fence an "F" grade for complaints.
But customers said they didn't learn about that history until after they made payments to First Coast Fencing, which was started in January. By July, the business had shut down, leaving customers who paid deposits with nothing to show for their investment - "not even a toothpick," as one woman put it.”


The above mentioned is the typical difficulty with avoiding scams, fraud and financial predators. Most people have relied upon the Better Business Bureau, State Attorney General’s office, Federal Trade commission and other agencies and organizations to help them avoid a scam or fraud. Unfortunately ALL of these agencies get the complaints after the scam has been perpetrated. This is comparable to locking the barn after the horse is gone!
The reason I began the Advocacy Network www.advocacy.bz was to proactively stop members from becoming victimized in a scams and fraud. Our members don’t find out after the fact they find out before they write a check. (Complaints are post buying decision, you have already LOST) Advocacy insulates and inoculates you against these losses.
Let’s take the Better Business as an example. This is a wonderful organization and certainly credible businesses are members. The sad fact is that complaints are only filed after someone has lost money or been the victim of fraud or a scam. The typical result is that you are approached for some offer and before you make a buying decision you do the prudent thing and check out the BBB, state Attorney General’s office, Federal Trade commission etc… when there are no complaints you figure it is safe to deal with the company, service or product offered to you. Within 30-60 days you find out you were scammed, yet it is too late to recover.
Please understand that fraudsters and scammers create new identities and entities like most of us change underwear. It is what they do, and it is almost impossible to find through normal channels. The foundational principles of due diligence are CLEAR TRANSPARENCY, FULL DISCLOSURE and FULL COMPLIANCE. At Advocacy we complete proper due diligence for our members before our members make a buying or investing decision. To date we have recovered and saved our members over $750,000! Our members don’t suffer the pangs of guilt from making poor decisions about money. Advocacy uniquely stands alone in the protection we provide. One could say we provide insurance against scams and fraud. I can make you one guarantee, as a member of Advocacy you will NEVER become a victim of scams, fraud or predator sales techniques.
Become a member today! Membership is pennies a day for a priceless protection. For $19.95 per month you will totally insulate and inoculate yourself against scams, fraud and sales predators.

Karl Schilling
321 947 3220 www.karlschilling.net

Friday, August 7, 2009

Mandatory coverages

The Administration is pushing mandatory coverages at all levels. In the recent Federal Regualtions legislation for Financial institutions the Adminsitration is seeking mandatory IRA contributions. WHile this appears to be a positive, in reality it causes two major concerns, first it chips away at personal freedoms. US workers already make mandatory retirement contributions with no access to investment choices, that of course is called SOCIAL SECURITY. As it is US employees now contribute 7.5% of income to a broken program that will not pay out to the largest % of contributors. The ceiling on income has risen consistently over the last decade and now dips into the top 5% of income earners, remember the ceiling for this program used to be $35K in annual income, it is now moving rapidly toward $100K. Of course this is totally out of control and now Pres Obama suggests that workers should also have to contribute more of their income to a MANDATORY IRA! this does nothing to help the economy of course as people will have less money in their take home pay, but of course the government will be creating another slush fund to offset SOCIAL SECURITY. The bigger issue is once again an elitist attitude that the US worker and citizen cannot control their own finances and make smart decisions about money. People can choose to contribute to an IRA and can also choose where those dollars are invested, this new mandatory program will take away BOTH choices. The Obama administration is also attempting to force the Health insurance issue. The plan is to make Health insurance mandatory either through an employer (we have already covered why this won't work) or personally. Of course once again this will cripple the economy as individuals will have less of their own money to use however they choose to. Every mandatory government program chips away at personal liberty, why is that so hard to comprehend? It also creates an economy that is controlled by the government and which decides for the people what they can and can't use their own money for. Who really wants this type of situation? Seems to me that those with any common sense and the ability to look forward would want no part of this type of Government control.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Unintended Consequences

I am constantly amazed at how so-called intelligent leaders can continually make knee-jerk reactionary decisions with little to NO consideration to the consequences. Now that the auto-scam program is displaying just how inept a government run program can be, it helps shed considerably light on the potential disasterous Government Health Care plans. There is not enough time to go point by point, but rest assured that every step in the poorly designed Health care bills will elicit incredibly bad unintended consequences.

Start with businesses and Health Insurance. Ask yourself what you would do if you were a business owner. Put yourself in the following position: presently you are the CEO of a company with 100 employees. Your company provides Health Insurance, Dental and a 401K plan. You also provide a medical expense account and the program is administered through a 125 plan. The costs to you for these benefits equal approx 37%or so of payroll. The health benefit portion represents 18% or so. The Health portion also takes up the largest amount of admin time in employee education, registration etc.. this would include the compliance issues with regards to COBRA. Because of COBRA it is very difficult to make decisions about lay-offs as an employee still has the modest parachute of COBRA. Are you with me so-far. Under the plan the Democratic leadership is so desperate to race through this CEO will be faced with the following NO-BRAINER business decision. If the company offers Health Insurance it will continue to cost them approx 18% of payroll along with time and many treachous compliance issues. Or the company can TOTALLY drop ALL Health Insurance coverage and pay an 8% payroll tax penalty. Also by doing this there is NO more COBRA issues to deal with so lay-offs become easier then ever. So you're the CEO what do you do, continue to pay 18% plus headaches or pay 8% with NO difficulties whatsoever? Save 10% of your payroll expenses by choosing the 8% penalty.

I can tell you this a vast majority of CEO's will choose the 10% savings. Why wouldn't they? So, the unintended consequence is YOU will NOT get to KEEP the PLAN you are HAPPY with! Sound familiar? The second unintended consequence is LOSS of JOBS. It will now be easier to rid your payroll of poor performers and vested high salaried employees (which can now be replaced by younger and cheaper alternatives)

For every action there is an equivalent and opposite reaction. This health plan will create numerous unintended consequences, not to mention out of control expenses, loss of qualified Physicians, less service providers, rationing of care, death of elderly and much, much more....