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The “Cheap Money” Trap

The US Fed led by Ben Bernanke has created a fiscal death trap for unknowledgable investors. There is a mirage that has blinded investors and duped them into a sense of comfort and security. As the stock market continues to rage on with zero fundamentals it becomes more and more apparent that this is going to end badly.

GDP growth is an out-and-out lie... Real job creation is non-existent... Inflation is rising (don’t believe the government)... And let’s not forget America’s nearly $17 trillion debt that hovers over our heads like a 2 ton anvil.

The government and the media are all pitching an economic recovery, but just ask yourself does

·         Declining Incomes

·         Hidden Inflation

·         Hidden Unemployment

Constitute an economic recovery. Does 1.5% growth reflect an economic recovery?

The present fiscal policy is to continually print new money which keeps the Banks balance sheets looking good and this money also artificially keeps interest rates low. Presently the FED is printing over $1T per year to keep the Banks propped up. This isn’t capitalism; it is a private enterprise through government. Without all the printing the Banks would fail, in a true capitalistic enterprise the Banks would be allowed to fail and then the recovery could begin.

So now we have an artificially inflated stock market that is not allowed to correct itself as would happen in a true market. Make no mistake; stocks are only going up because of increased liquidity from the Fed and corporate measures that reduce costs (reduction in workforce and other general administration cutbacks).

 The average investor has no idea that 80% of trades executed in the stock market are done by high-frequency trading algorithms. And those algorithms are operating on flawed data (see: "official" unemployment rates). The flawed data is all manipulated through government controls and reporting. Do you really believe the inflation numbers, unemployment numbers and other leading and lagging indicators put out by the government? Just look around you, what is happening to food prices? What is happening with energy costs? How many of your neighbors are working at full time jobs?

So the only sign we have that things are going well is a stock market that's no market at all.

This week the FED once again decided to keep the pedal to the metal and continue to print more money. They know that if interest rates were allowed to rise in the short term we would be looking at a crash of the bond market, a real correction in the stock market and the insolvency of many banks in the system. The problem is that while the cheap money keeps the Banks and Stock Market afloat it also consistently erodes the value of the dollar. At this moment the markets are driven by bad news in an opposite direction; in other words bad news is good news and good news is bad news. The market is totally upside down in its thinking because investors realize that bad news makes the FED continue to print money. Sadly this ride has to end regardless of market conditions.

There is a point at which your debt is worthless and there are no buyers. Presently the largest purchaser of US debt is the FED. That means we are purchasing our own debt with money we are presently printing. The market for US debt is continuing to shrink and the only way to keep it going is for the US to print money and purchase their own debt. This type of strategy wouldn’t even be acceptable in an ECON 101 class.

The more damning dilemma is the reserve currency status. Presently the US has the ability to print their own money and control their interest rates because of the global status of being the reserve currency. The continued devaluation of the dollar will make it less attractive as the reserve currency. This will open the door for China to become the reserve currency and then the US will have to actually pay down the insurmountable debt that will be left.

Why is any of this important? Well you must be aware and make decisions which will allow you to keep your wealth. If you simply stand on the sidelines and wait it out you will find nothing left in your cupboard. It is time to take action and make smart decisions about money.

The Advocacy Network will be providing important and timely financial information on WMTS. We will have 4 hours of programming that will provide our listeners with practical and profitable financial strategies. You will learn about growth companies in Canada, Europe, Dubai and other Global international opportunities. You will learn how to best make these investments and where to find the best professionals to deal with. You will gain perspective and have the peace of mind in knowing that all our introductions are fully vetted and pass through the most diligent due diligence process.

Watch for the programming schedule to be announced soon, and get registered and set up at www.moneytalkstation.com

 

 

Smart Decisions about Money

Here is a re-post of one of the initial Advocacy Network blogs from Feb 2009, interesting now 4+ years later:

Feb 14, 2009

Today we take a look at the end of Reaganomics as we knew it. I remember as a young insurance professional in the early 80’s the public sentiment which was embodied in the actions of President Reagan, was for decreased taxes on the wealthy and decreased government involvement in the economy. Now, in 2009, public sentiment, which has been embodied in the speeches of President Obama, is for increased taxes on the wealthy and increased government involvement in the economy. The following are words taken directly from President Obama: “restore fairness to the tax code and provide 150 million workers with the tax relief they need and eliminate all income taxation of seniors making less than $50,000 per year.”

The Advocacy Network is committed to giving our members clear concise and non biased information that will assist our clients (members) in making smart decisions with money. We believe that practicing any political partisanship will not serve our clients. (that is not to say that we are not involved in the national and local political climate, as a responsible US citizen that is a fundamental right), yet our viewpoints are strictly towards events and how those will cause trends that all people need to be aware of in order to make smart decisions about money.

For every action there is an equal an opposite reaction, this is commonly referred to the Law of Unintended Consequences. Be prepared because there will be a mountain of unintended consequences in the decision to grow government involvement in the economy. That being said you can make these unintended consequences work for you instead of against you, it does however require that you be proactive in your decisions about money. Confidence is waning and that causes PROCRASTINATION. The most damaging impact that can be inflicted upon the market at any time is PROCRASTINATION, commonly referred to as the decision to make NO DECISION. These “no decisions” are in essence very powerful decisions which end up having huge impacts on the market place.

Let’s take a look at the present economic climate and potential impacts. The recent economic crisis has resulted in the Federal government taking substantial ownership interests in many of America’s Financial Institutions (whether you agree with this or not, it is what it is), this has led to an outcry for more governmental oversight as the public’s faith in private market solutions has been shaken. (More transparency should simplify this and hopefully allow people to regain confidence in the private market).

During the Reagan years with its lower tax rates on the wealthy (actually had the unintended consequence of choking off infrastructure investment (tax shelters) as much of the wealthy were willing to fund projects while at the 50% tax rate which while lowered was also hindered by the infamous passive income ceilings which in essence crippled the so-called tax shelter market) and its fundamental faith in the private market, saw a boom of innovative but increased risk products such as mutual funds and hedge funds. Now, many individuals see those products as too risky and are looking for safer places to put their money.

This will create a trend towards fixed rate products such as cash value life insurance and annuities. The trend towards protection products should have never decreased yet most of the buying public fell victim to a lack of clear transparency when it came to RISK. All investments are useful as long proper suitability is established. This suitability is reliant upon a client understanding the concept of RISK. No financial concept is more important to the American family then that of risk management. The financial risks of premature death, disability and living too long are the greatest risks our economy ever faces. So the movement back to protection products is not in any way a negative prospect.

Regardless of the given economic climate the great financial staples will always be tax deferral, guarantees and safety of principal. Once a foundation of protection is built then growth and accumulation can be directed and planned for. Getting back to basics of protection is a very positive thing.

The unintended consequences of the most recent governmental actions will be a strong market place for tax deferral, guarantees and safety of principal. Once again the communication and understanding of risk will be the most useful conversations individuals can have.

As to how the investment market place will be affected it is too early to tell, yet there are some factors that can give you a preview. Sectors to rely on will continue to be Technology, Financial and Energy. The recent government stimulus package included 50 billion for the energy industry, to put into renewable energy and clean energy programs. These programs will be driven by innovations in technology so it would follow that technology will enjoy and upward trend due to its causative relationship with energy. The Financial sector will be stabilized by the Insurance industry (mostly due to the previous points) but surely due to its consistent longevity and its basic economic fundamental to the American family and business owner as it pertains to risk management. Remember that the Life insurance industry has been around since just before the Civil War and has not just survived but thrived in such economic climates a World Wars, the great depression etc…, this industry has actually given the banking industry the tremendous opportunity establish itself. That very same banking industry has managed almost single-handedly to run our economy into the ground (discussion for another time).

We will continue to provide the latest and most prevalent economic information, our viewpoint will always take into account the principles of innovation, trending and clear transparency.

The Power of Intent

The man who is intent on making the most of his opportunities is too busy to bother about luck.
B. C. Forbes

The definition of intent includes such terms as aim and purpose. It is a fundamental starting point. If one set out to accomplish something and begins without intent then they are simply racing idly through their life. Accidental accomplishment isn’t a good way to develop a career or solidify a life’s work.

Napoleon Hill talked in terms of “definiteness of purpose” when he started his 17 principles of success. His starting point for all success was within this concept. Intent is just another definition for this concept.

Intent can be either negative or positive; it has no character attached to it. It is the essence of the person behind the intent that validates the characterization of the intention. The reality though is that without intent you are not committed. You have not taken any steps towards accomplishment without formulating a definitive intent.

Much of our experience is the result of our imprinting from our subconscious mind. We are subject to the behaviors which were manifested through our subconscious imprinting. Intent however is a conscious driven imprint. We have complete conscious control over the creation of our intent. The truth is that the conscious creation of intent is simply and extension of what is already being programmed through our subconscious mind.

The real power of intent is subject to the conditioning of our mind. By embracing a prosperity driven mindset we initiate the intent of abundance. Through abundance we see the world filled with opportunity and can generate accomplishment in all we choose to do. The intent is always to recognize opportunity. It is this intent that becomes the driving force behind all accomplishment. When you are part of an abundant environment your options become unlimited, your actions can become a dominant force towards manifesting goodness and well-being around all aspects of your life. Everything looks, sounds, feels, and tastes better. Life becomes a journey towards self-fulfillment.

Your intent ultimately defines who and what you are. We have all heard the old adage of how the road to hell is filled with good intentions. This misses the point of fact that intent is what you choose it to be. You have complete control over the choice of your intent, do you choose to see abundance or do you choose to see scarcity? Whichever one you choose is what you will ultimately end up with.

How Is Your Prosperity Consciousness?

Prosperity is a mindset which is commonly referred to as abundance thinking. The vast majority of financially successful people see the world differently from those who lack. The worldview of successful people is one of abundance, a state of mind that has been trained to expect, acknowledge and see prosperity and opportunities everywhere they look.

The polar opposite of this mindset is a scarcity consciousness. In this mindset people expect and acknowledge lack and limitations and they view everything in these terms. It is simply impossible to achieve financial success with this scarcity driven mindset. I always hesitate to use the word impossible as I believe impossibility is a rare happening, yet unfortunately when it comes to scarcity driven perceptions success is unattainable and therefore impossible.

Abundant driven people see opportunity in every event in their lives, they also are willing to share and give back as they know that this cycle will remain unbroken due to the belief in abundance. The world is filled with new and wonderful opportunities which will continue to multiply and be available for those who actively seek out opportunity.

Having a high prosperity quotient isn’t a naturally occurring event; it is a learned and acquired mindset. As with any learning process it requires work and practice.  Changing a scarcity driven belief system is hard work. It can be accomplished though if you will identify and admit that you suffer from a scarcity consciousness.

The foundational key to all financial victimization is a scarcity consciousness. Those with an abundantly driven consciousness do not fall victim to greed. The shortfall of greed exists only in a scarcity driven mindset. Scarcity always sees lack and limitation and therefore a desire to get as much as possible as soon as possible because there might not be anything available in the future. This can end no other way than with greed permeating one’s desires.

The prosperity consciousness is the elixir to greed. It allows one to feel comfortable within the knowledge that the world has an abundance of opportunity and material goods. There is no lack of financial gain nor is there a lack of personal achievement. The world isn’t based upon zero sum exercises which end with only one winner and the rest losers. This type of competitive belief system is scarcity driven and leads to the very lack and limitation that one believes in. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you have imprinted the belief that everything is a competition which has one winner and one loser then you are on the low range of a prosperity consciousness benchmark. Creation far exceeds competition as it is extremely easy and beneficial to tap into the abundance that exists as opposed to hanging on to the scarcity that is self-generated.

Developing a prosperity consciousness is available for everyone and the first step is to identify where you are on the prosperity consciousness scale. How do you see the world around you? Do you find yourself driven by competition and greed? If this is your reality then you are somewhere in the 1-3 range on a scale of 1-10. If you are sales professional check yourself and see how you view your sales environment. Is rejection a negative force in your sales process? Do you find yourself feeling there are a lack of prospects and a lack of money to go around? Have you ever been jealous or envious of another sales leader in your office? Have you ever told yourself that the successful producers are luckier then you because they know the right people or have the right contacts. Have you ever fought over a sales lead? If any of these circumstances are your reality then you are a scarcity driven person and you need to make the necessary adjustments to become an abundantly driven person. Once you make this change you will be heading to the top of the sales charts and you will never need to look back.

Lastly, if you choose to become a dominant prosperity driven person you will be able to give back to those around you. You will be well positioned to inoculate and insulate potential victims of scams, fraud and predatory sales tactics. You will be able to serve as an advocate for those you choose to serve as opposed to one who needs to manipulate others into poor financial decisions. Do you want clients or victims?

 

Truth About Trayvon

Risk Free is a Myth

The greatest myth ever perpetrated on a society is the concept of risk free. There is nothing that is totally free of risk. Daily living is a risk. Every event in your life contains some element of risk. When you eat a meal you take a risk that the food is cooked properly and is bacteria free. You also take on the risk that you will chew the food and successfully swallow it. You take a risk when you get on public transportation, get in your car or cross the street. It goes on and on as there are an infinite amount of examples about your life and risk.

For our purposes though we are strictly focused on financial or investment risk. How many offers do you receive daily that suggest they have a risk free opportunity for you? Some of these are not even sensible let alone reasonable. Why waste your greatest asset which is time even considering these ridiculous offers? The vast majority of scams are predicated upon the basis of being without risk. They offer incredible return for ZERO risk. Please, take a moment and consider how impossible this is. If you could get 800% return on your money in 5 days, why would the promoters need any more money? Why would they seek your capital? One investor at 800% every 5 days would be more than sufficient to provide a continuous stream of capital for ongoing trading. Why would any investor withdraw 100% of their capital when they can simply keep rolling over the gains each time and continue to make 800% with no risk?

Of course we all know the answers to these questions and yet everyday there are more victims created by the allure of risk free opportunities to double, triple, quadruple or even make 10x their investment.

All industries have created some form of the myth, the financial services industry has multiple versions of this myth all of which end up with you chasing your money.

At least degenerate gamblers find a bottom. Scam victims or marks as they are called never seem to find a bottom; they just continue to chase their money with one bad decision after another. We have all experienced a loss of money, yet the most important step is what happens next. If you become a chaser then you are doomed to continued failure and ultimate destitution. If you step back and identify what happened and how it happened you are on the road to recovery. Just as gains cannot be found overnight, losses can’t be recovered overnight.

Patience and discipline is the key to financial success. The discipline aspect includes the sensibility to review, research and complete due diligence before making a decision. The wisdom to have a third party non-biased set of eyes on any monetary or financial decisions is also priceless. A third party advocate can review your opportunities with no personal bias and also see the obstacles that most individuals will conveniently over look. The sub-conscious is an amazing power. If you ignore your intuitions you will become an easy prey those who are seeking victims.

Why is risk free impossible? There are many reasons, time however allows for us to cover only one. The concept of scarcity has long been fundamental to financial markets. If something is scarce it increases in value as the demand continues to chase a perceived scarcity. Risk is a component of scarcity. Without risk how could the value of scarcity increase? Over time the truth of risk has become a greater value is associated with the greater risk. When you are willing to take on greater risk you are entitled to greater rewards. If everyone could simply walk in risk free then the market cannot grow in value, it will become flat. For this reason the proffer of risk free doesn’t equate with the market place. If you decide to lend money to an associate who has little or no collateral then you have a greater risk that that associate will default on the loan and you will receive zero value in return. For this risk you are entitled to a greatly increased return on investment or ROI. The fact is that the other party has zero hard asset value to offer in return, and therefore the risk is measured upon the ability to return the capital you have laid out. This elementary concept is the foundation of all risk profiling. Anyone who tries to sell an exceptional return with zero risk is just a fool or a con man. Either one is equally dangerous for your financial future.

A simple investment rule that can help you avoid losses is don’t invest in fairy tales and myths. Risk free is a myth.

Karl Schilling

www.theadvocacynet.com

321-250-1445 O

321-947-3220 C

Skype: karl.schilling5

Small Cap Investing Made Easy : Blog

Small Cap Investing Made Easy : Blog

Blog : advocacybz's Space

Blog : advocacybz's Space

Blog : advocacybz's Space

Blog : advocacybz's Space Find out how to make smart decisions about money while investing in the nano, micro and small cap arenas.

FINRA Disciplinary Update

The following update validates the need for advocacy network services. All investors and consumers need an independent non-biased watchdog as it is clearly becoming more evident that financial service providers do not have their client’s best interests in mind.

FINRA Fines Up 15% in 2012

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) last year reported filing 1541 disciplinary actions, a 3.6% rise over the prior year. It also put more bite into its actions by doling out $78.2 million in fines, a roughly 15% jump from 2011. It marked the fourth consecutive year of increased disciplinary actions by the brokerage industry regulator and the second straight year of higher fine totals.

The top enforcement issues, as measured by total fines assessed, related to suitability, due diligence, research report and research analyst cases, advertising and exchange-traded funds.

The uptick in suitability cases owes mainly to the $7.5 million in fines assessed in four ETF cases, as well as cases involving complex products such as reverse convertible notes and unit investment trusts. Sutherland Asbill & Brennan said it expects this to be a priority area for FINRA due to the increasing number of complicated financial products entering the market.

Regarding ETF’s, the law firm said FINRA put the clamps down on cases dealing with leveraged and inverse ETF’s that the agency considers unsuitable for conservative investors and were sold without sufficient due diligence review.

Karl Schilling
the Advocacy Network
www.theadvocacynet.com
321-250-1445 O
321-947-3220 C
Skype: karl.schilling5

Magic Silver Bullet Syndrome Continues

We all know the definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Well in the world of the magic silver bullet syndrome we see a new definition of insanity and that is believing that there is a magic silver bullet.

Below kindly see an email I recently received, notice the pitch which is one of the great magic silver bullets (passive income for doing NOTHING). Rule #1 is there is no magic silver bullet and this rule is founded upon the reality that there is no business income without sales and marketing. Products, services, information all require purchasers and in order to find purchasers marketing, advertising and sales are required. Anyone who believes there is income to be made without any sales or marketing is unfortunately a victim waiting to happen. Just read this closely and ask a simple question “How is this promoter earning money?”

Karl,

 

My friend Brad discovered an ‘underground’ money-growing loophole that wealthy insiders have been keeping to themselves for years.

It allows anyone to effortlessly start earning an extra $1,000, $3,000, $5,000 or even $10,000 or more in passive cash flow every month...
The best part is it doesn’t require any recruiting, selling or talking to anyone.

It’s all covered in a new video presentation that finally exposes the truth about passive income no one else is willing to tell you.

BUT…

I need to WARN YOU about it before you watch it...

It contains some very controversial information that will probably piss off some “gurus” in the internet marketing and home business industry.

==> Watch the video to find out why.

 

I especially love the “wealthy insiders have been keeping to themselves for years.” Remember, in order to sell the magic silver bullet there must be a secret that you can now take advantage of. The secret is of course been kept for decades, centuries or eons and now suddenly you can get this secret for some price. Those who have made millions are now willing to share their secrets with you for a small investment. This is the typical main theme in all magic silver bullet offers.

In order to avoid this pitfall just ask yourself, if you had a system that made you thousands of dollars a day and you worked many years to accomplish this and perfect the system which continues to provide you with millions of dollars of earnings a year would you want to sell it to others for small amounts of money? Would you want to spend tens of thousands of dollars in marketing costs to reach out to all these individuals when you could simply continue to use your system to earn thousands of dollars a day? I think you know the answer.

Karl Schilling

Founder

The Advocacy Network

www.theadvocacynet.com

321-250-1445 O

321-947-3220 C

Skype: karl.schilling5

 

Are you a good negotiator? | LifeHealthPro

Are you a good negotiator? | LifeHealthPro

Myths, Lies and Damn Lies

The advent of social media has proven to be both a blessing and a curse. The double edged sword of vast amounts of information freely flowing 24/7/365 is filled with myths, lies and damn lies.

The perpetration of scams, fraud and predatory sales manipulation is easier than ever before. Instant credibility is created through well-meaning organizations and operations. Unfortunately these entities survive on advertising dollars and therefore take a position of enabler. When an organization thrives through advertising money they have a mandate to look the other way. They have no responsibility to provide any due diligence or do even nominal research on anyone who is willing to pay dollars to advertise. Of course there could be the perception of a moral and ethical responsibility to protect the investors, consumers and public from bad advice, mis-information and flat out lies, yet the reliance is on the archaic advertising laws.

An incredible amount of the investor and consumer public live under the false impression that “everything on the internet is true; it must be because it’s on the internet.” This lie has been promulgated by the major social network operations which I won’t bother to name because you know who they are.

One such business based social network organization has myriads of groups which are started under the guise of a source of information and education. Conceptually this would be akin to Napoleon Hill’s master-mind group concept. Sadly, these groups rapidly descend to spam, scams and other manipulative sales motivations. A master mind group is formed to share insight, wisdom, and experience and through such to generate greater impact then the individual could accomplish alone.

Napoleon Hill would be rolling in his grave if he could witness what many social media groups have turned his precious concept into. The many groups are passed off as Angel Investment, Venture Capital, Investment groups, and many other business specialties well too many to list. In all of these groups the moderators (when there is a moderator) cherry pick based upon their own conflicts of interest. Rarely is there a truly educational and informational group in the mix. The most damaging issue of all is that these groups become fertile ground for scams and frauds to be perpetrated. Now, scammers and fraudsters don’t even need to invest in the promotion of their dark intentions, as they can simply slip into any social media portal and prey upon the 100’s of thousands of available potential victims.

This all can be controlled and easily avoided through the process of having a 3^rd party advocate. An advocate is only concerned with the best interest of their client. There are no conflicts of interest, internal biases or ulterior motives. The advocate exists to inoculate and insulate the client. Total inoculation and insulation is developed through education, media sourcing such as webinars, tele-conferences and virtual web based activities.

The Advocacy Network is your master-mind group formed to enhance your ability to make smart decisions about money.

Over the coming weeks I will be producing blog spots that will identify common myths, lies and dam lies in the financial market place. Believe me when I tell you there are too many to list and I could produce pieces for the next several years and not cover even a quarter of the scams, frauds and sales manipulations in the financial markets. As an investor, consumer or business you need to be aware of the potential abyss vying for your dollars on a daily basis. I look forward to serving you in your quest to make smart decisions about money.

 

Karl Schilling

321-250-1445 O

321-947-3220 C

www.theadvocacynet.com

Skype: karl.schilling5

Everything Old is New Again!

The Advocacy Network is focused on inoculating and insulating investors, consumers and businesses against scams, fraud and predatory sales tactics. As an investor, consumer or business entity the most evident threat is predatory sales tactics. After all even scammers and fraudsters need to sell their propositions. Eliminating the scams and fraud is the easiest part of our work; the difficult aspect is continually identifying and eliminating the predatory sales tactics used by entire industries.

Financial services are a vital part of any individual’s personal financial health and one would expect to find safety in an industry created to protect your financial well-being. Unfortunately the industry is awash with gimmicks and predatory sales tactics. Yet you must be able to integrate such financial tools such as Life Insurance, Annuities, and Health Insurance along investment vehicles into your financial plans.

The risk protection of insurance products is the foundation upon which a strong financial lifestyle is created. The insurance agent has a crucial role in you and your family’s financial well-being.

Having spent over 20 years in the Financial Services industry as an agent, manager and sales trainer I can attest to the myriad of manipulative sales practices that are taught and perpetrated against an unsuspecting public. Many of these tactics have been around since the 1920’s and certainly there are several that have been staples since the 1980’s. Let’s review just a few of the most common marketing gimmicks used to entice you into a bad decision about money.

·         The ticking time bomb of taxation on life insurance and annuities.  This has been a very common tactic since the early 1980’s and the Reagan tax changes. Since that time Congress has continually sought ways in which to gain tax revenue from retirement based usages in these products. Life Insurance continues to have a tax-free privilege through the proper usage of loans against cash values. This has long been one of the most effective means of creating tax-free income, yet the reality in planning is that this should never be the major purpose in developing a life insurance plan. Of course if this is the only reason people purchase Life Insurance then Congress would certainly put an end to this process. As to annuities there is no better vehicle to provide an income one can never outlive. For the concern of living too long annuities create a guaranteed stream of income and of course are a vital tool in proper retirement planning. The difficulty is that the industry has made these products so complicated that many times the agents who sell them have no idea of what is going on little alone educate an unaware public. In reality the annuity is a very simple concept and can be easily explained to you the consumer. SO why has it become so extraordinarily complicated? It seems that the creation of mass confusion works to the benefit of the insurance carriers. This confusion can hide the fact that not everyone needs an annuity. That’s right annuities are not right for everyone. There are circumstances where the financial benefits and restrictions of an annuity do not fir. This is called “suitability” and the insurance industry has made it more complicated the never in this arena.

·         Seminars, freebies and other manipulations. The most common marketing tool over the past 15 yrs. or so has been the use of seminars. Now there is nothing innately wrong with an educational seminar, in fact it is a good thing. But the industry has manipulated an educational event into a predatory sales hunt and certainly a product pitch. Life Insurance planning and Annuity planning is a personal issue and needs to be individually programmed. It is never a one-size fits all remedy. So. While information in a seminar setting is useful, it is only useful in general terms and once it moves into one size fits all generalizations it becomes manipulative. Your safest move is to avoid seminars as you can get all the general information you need through totally independent sources.

·         Social Security optimization. Another oldie but goody. This used to be known as pension maximization in the 80’s-2000’s. Now with the economic crises surrounding the government programs it has focused itself on Social Security. The reason for this is less people have pensions now and therefore the biggest market place exists in Social Security. With 10,000 Baby Boomers turning 65 every day the market is abundantly plentiful with those who are Social Security eligible. Once again there is solid and useful information to be had about your Social Security; unfortunately it doesn’t need to be used as a manipulative sales tool for you to purchase more financial products. Being fully honest at this point in time how many of you actually believe the Social Security system will last long enough to actually make good on its payouts to the entire universe of baby-boomers? It would seem that delaying your social security check for a larger payout from a system that may well be bankrupt in less than a decade is not a very prudent financial decision.

·         Retirement planning. Long the holy grail of the Financial Services industry, this concept has left a long a brutal trail of predatory sales tactics and manipulations. Once again we have a very individualized personal scenario that is treated with a one-size fits all mentality. Such issues as life-style, Life-experience, Life-expectancy and legacy desires are all vital parts to a congruous retirement plan. This also has to have flexibility in its design as life is never a totally linear event. Making smart decisions about money today and tomorrow require a consistent mental and emotional approach to these factors. You have to ask yourself some very crucial questions and acknowledge what has happened in the past along with what is probable in the future. The normalcy effect will not serve you well in today’s ever-changing society. One simple concern is any existing ERISA qualified retirement savings you now have (IRA’s, 401k’s, Keogh’s SEP’s etc...) as all these plans could well be targets of the government’s debt concerns in the near future. Would you be comfortable if the government determined that these funds should be in a GRA (government retirement plan) which would simply annuitize your balances and make payments much like Social Security? It is not only a possibility it has been discussed on Capitol Hill and will continue to get more traction as the runaway debt continues to grow exponentially. Over $17 trillion dollars is presently in these types of accounts. You have serious decisions to make.

                                               Industry Marketing example for Agents (Producers)

 

The stark reality is that in marketing and sales everything old is new again, yet in today’s economic arena nothing old will ever be new again. There are many other areas of concern when it comes to predatory sales tactics and the marketing tools used to attract investors, consumers and businesses. The Advocacy Network is an organization that keeps our members educated and aware of all these manipulative behaviors. Our only concern is your best interest.

 

Karl Schilling

321-250-1445 O

321-947-3220 C

Skype: karl.schilling5

www.theadvocacynet.com

 

Preeminence and Smart Decisions about Money

Jay Abraham has defined preeminence as “being totally focused on adding value for the other side and understanding what value looks like.” The most intriguing result of victimization in any scam, fraud or predatory sales tactic is the distinguishable lack of value transferred in the process. These events are always totally one-sided in that the only gain in the process is by the scammer or fraudster as they steal time, money and psychic energy.

 The grand loser in this is always the victim. There is no preeminence in this transaction, nor is there any long term relationship value. With this very obvious equation there remains an extraordinary amount of victims created on a daily if not hourly basis. How can this be?

It all starts within the victim; no one can scam, defraud or manipulate you unless you allow it. The power of avoidance always lies with you, yet the psychological triggers are rarely understood on a personal level. As such manipulation becomes a very simple process which leads to the greater risks of scams and frauds.

Predatory sales tactics are the invite to every level of scam or fraud. It all begins with a sales pitch. I want to make it very clear that professional sales people are vital to our everyday lives and our overall financial well-being. The grave obstacles lie within the industries which promote predatory sales tactics and strive to make sales revenue at any cost. The lack of value transfer is a poor decision about money.

A simple method in which you can make smart decisions about money is by minimizing your bad decisions about money. Losses are always more difficult to overcome than a simple “no” decision. By saying no you can greatly limit your potential losses, of course the next level is to make “yes” decisions so you can successful grow your wealth status.

The attraction to a “yes” decision is the thought of quick gain, fast money. It starts with an offer that seems to be risk free and offers “guarantees.” Everyone has a greed trigger and once it is initiated the launch code begins on a bad decision about money.

While making smart decisions about money requires a learning curve for each individual having a 3^rd party non-biased advocate provides you with a 24hr protection shield. Almost the last resort in spite of yourself scenario. Of course once you gain the mandatory self-knowledge which drives your financial decisions you can rely on self-dependence more readily. Having an advocate allows for you to pass off the sales pitch and early attraction button. The 3^rd party source is then able to objectively review and dig into the offer with full detachment and no personal bias. This level of protection is priceless as it will remove the initial level of bad decisions about money. This provides full insulation in that it is the stop sign on poor decisions about money.

The levels are financial decisions you make in a lifetime are multi-layered and any one of these decisions can set you back years and possibly lead to financial ruin. Look at all these areas in which your ability to make smart decisions about money can be the difference between financial freedom and total financial misery:

1.       Insurances: including Life, Home, Auto, Personal Liability, Commercial Liability, Health, Flood and many others.

2.       Medical concerns including Medicare, Medicaid, Health Insurance, Health Providers and much more.

3.       Housing, do you rent?, Own? Insurance protection, maintenance concerns, upkeep, liability exposure, Home Improvement, Furnishings, and many other financial decisions.

4.       Transportation, auto, travel, vacations, insurance, maintenance, and much more.

5.       Family care, children, elderly family members, illness of family members etc…

6.       Taxes, how to limit your tax liability, how to grow your assets tax-free, how to position your assets most advantageously and much more.

7.       Estate planning, how to pass on wealth, how to protect wealth, how to establish trust protection, how to legally protect your assets, how to best position retirement income, and much more.

8.       Identity (the most prevailing fraud in society today is identity theft which will destroy everything in points 1-7)

All these areas have the potential for you to be victimized by predatory sales people, scams and out- right fraud. When you least expect it you can be targeted and ultimately victimized.

Our mission at the Advocacy Network is to fully inoculate and insulate consumers, investors and businesses against scams, fraud and predatory sales tactics.

Karl Schilling

321-250-1445 O

321-947-3220 C

Skype: karl.schilling5

www.theadvocacynet.com

Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show, the Life Insurance version

The following is a real advertisement run in several insurance industry journals and promoted via email to licensed agents:

And now, for the first time ever on the planet, this amazing system is available for use; completely systemized, and ready to sell monster amounts of life insurance almost automatically for a few select life insurance agents.

This system is unlike any other ever created in that it has the ability to create large sales forces of enthusiastic clients that will eagerly and consistently give you referrals, encouraging their friends and family who qualify to seek you out and ask you to sell them life insurance.

No one else in our industry knows how to do this or knows that this system even exists.

This IS NOT fantasy.

It is reality. I've created the ultimate "easy button" for life insurance agents.

No more begging for business.

No more multiple closes.

No more attorneys or accountants killing deals.

No more tough and ugly prospecting. Instead, you will have eager, interested prospective clients calling you, asking you to complete a life insurance application for them.

ATTENTION: Discounting what I'm about to tell you could be one of the costliest mistakes of your financial services career. Before you finish this letter, you'll know beyond any doubt that what I'm saying is true and can instantly transform the way you do business, allowing you to quickly and easily reach the ranks of Millionaire Advisor at ZERO risk to you.

I'm allowing a limited number of advisors in your area to preview and license this system, and because this system is so powerful and so easy to use, the results are fully guaranteed. (Qualifying life insurance agents and advisors can license this system at no net cost to them. Complete details of this unmatched guarantee are covered completely at a free preview and business building seminar. You'll receive $2,308.95 in free gifts just for attending.)  (END of advertisement)

I have maintained my registrations and licenses in the Financial Services industry, but that has been to become an advocate to clients not an advisor, agent or representative. As an advocate I seek the best interests of those I serve. Above please see what has happened to a once proud and meaningful industry. The entire Life Insurance industry is at risk due to gimmicks and tricks like the above fore mentioned. The industry has no one but themselves to blame. I research over 14 industry periodicals monthly and can tell you that these so called educational and industry promoting publications are all guilty of taking advertising revenues from predators who offer so called silver bullet marketing scams to unsuspecting agents. There is more money being made selling useless information then there is in actually serving the needs of clients. If there was room here I would post for you the postcard this organization uses to lure agents into their game. Needless to say it is done with the allure of sex. Imagine in a professional field such as impacting people’s FINANCIAL well being, we have to be subjected to the same kind of marketing that was once used in Times Square to promote peep show palaces. Not exactly what I would call professional. Of course as you are not licensed or in the industry it has no concern for you, right? Wrong, over the coming days I will be writing a series on annuities, life insurance and other very important financial tools that you need to be aware of. In this series I will expose the realities and truths of this important vehicles and I will also expose the myths and sales manipulations you must avoid. (MOST IMPORTANTLY I WILL NOT BE SELLING YOU ANY PRODUCTS!) That is why I gave you a simple display of what agents in the industry are being taught. Of course you must believe that insurance companies and the industry as a whole doesn’t educate their agents this way, unfortunately as they take the advertising revenues and allow this to be pitched to the agents, they are culpable in this gimmick driven environment. Let me say right up front that all of this is TOTALLY legal and allowable, now as to whether it is moral and ethical is a totally debatable issue. I want to educate you on the importance and the realities of these financial tools and help insulate you and inoculate you against the manipulative techniques and myth pitches out there. Send you family, friends and associates to this blog so they can get the real scoop on financial services.