If you have been following Pension Life´s blogs, you will know that we have been conducting a series of investigations into qualified and registered financial advisers in various firms. Today is the turn of Callaghan QROPS Spain – qualified and registered? IFAs and their clients are invited to add to it, correct it, improve it. Here’s a link […]
Callaghan QROPS Spain – qualified and registered? Read More »
International Investment has written a jolly good article about the recent action taken by the UAE Insurance Authority – headed up by His Excellency Ibrahim Al Zaabi. I quote from Gary Robinson’s article: “In a statement on the Arabic version on its website the IA has issued a circular confirming the suspension (of Holborn Assets) for a
UAE REGULATOR DOES A BIT OF REGULATING Read More »
John Rodges had a pension pot of £202,000. He was cold called by a salesman called Dean Stogsdill and persuaded to transfer his pension fund to a QROPS (Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme) with Continental Wealth Management (CWM pension scam using high-risk, professional-investor-only structured notes which Stogsdill referred to as “Blue Chip Notes”). With false
CWM Pension scam – A victim’s reconstruction Read More »
I have been working for Pension Life for five months. I help Angie Brooks with blogging, images and social media networking. When editing a blog the other day, a question struck me: how do we know if anyone who offers a service is qualified to do so? For example, be it the dentist, doctor or financial adviser. When we
Qualified or not qualified? That is the question. Read More »
Looking at International Adviser’s 2017 awards, I really think the judges were having a giraffe (or they were very drunk). “Best regular premium investment product – Hong Kong – Zurich International Life” Seriously? This grim firm has one of the most expensive long-term savings plans on the market. A victim scammed into buying one of
International Adviser – Giraffe Awards Read More »
Welcome to my world – and the four letter word that sends a chill down most people’s spine: HMRC. A world where justice and taxation are not just in different countries, but on different continents. And, sadly, where thousands of British expats are living under the shadow of a ticking time bomb because of arrangements
TICKING TAX TIME BOMB ON LIFE SAVINGS Read More »
SEB – NO TRUST – NO RESPECT – NO EXCUSE. SEB’s many victims have no trust or respect for this disgraceful firm which has failed them so dismally. There has been no excuse for SEB’s appalling behaviour – and now is the time for SEB to put the damage right. This week, SEB had the
SEB – NO TRUST – NO RESPECT – NO EXCUSE Read More »
From 2010 up to the present day, Old Mutual International has been facilitating financial crime by allowing scammers to misuse and abuse OMI “life bonds” to scam victims out of their life savings. The victims of the CWM scam are still wondering how the hell they lost an average of 60% of their life savings.
Old Mutual International (OMI) facilitating financial crime Read More »
Since 2010, £millions have been lost to pension scams, thousands of victims have lost their retirement savings, large-scale misery and poverty are the terrible results. One common factor connects many of these scams: one man – Stephen Ward. Here at Pension Life we have made a video – based on the Mastermind quiz. Lessons must
Mastermind – Stephen Ward Read More »
Generali has responded to one of the complaints by CWM victims. I have transcribed it below and put my comments in bold. First, let us look at what Generali says on its own website. It is utterly astonishing as it is a complete pack of lies and does nothing to prove it was not facilitating
GENERALI WORLDWIDE – FINANCIAL CRIME FACILITATOR Read More »
SEB – DESTROYING LIFE SAVINGS – accepting business and investment instructions from unlicensed scammers. SEB Life International Assurance offers so-called life assurance policies to expats living in Spain. SEB claim that their policies are straightforward and help investors to construct investment portfolios specifically to individual needs. The truth is, life assurance policies with SEB destroy life
SEB – DESTROYING LIFE SAVINGS Read More »
Protect your pension fund at all costs. Pension “vampires” disguised as friendly and legitimate pension advisers are still out there – prowling the land trying to find victims. Ever evolving and changing their strategies to seduce you into transferring your pension fund, often into a high-risk, toxic investment that rewards them with high commission but
Protecting your pension fund from pension vampires Read More »
One small stumble for the Isle of Man – one giant leap for victims of OMI and CWM. We never thought the litigation against the scourge of financial services – the insurance giant Old Mutual International – was going to be easy. And we knew these negligent and greedy firms would try every trick in
OMI AND IOM DEFEATED BY SPANISH COURT Read More »
A fine journalist at International Investment reports that Old Mutual International is taking legal action against Leonteq. She reports that this action is being taken on the basis that Leonteq lied about commissions paid to advisers for using high-risk structured notes. This news is, of course, very welcome news – especially if it succeeds in securing
OMI SUES LEONTEQ over undisclosed commissions Read More »
EVERGREEN RETIREMENT TRUST QROPS SCAM – HOW DID IT ALL WORK? Victims were cold called by Continental Wealth Management (CWM) and duped into transferring their UK pensions into the Evergreen New Zealand QROPS on the promise that they could access 50% of their pension. CWM acted as the “sister” company to Stephen Ward’s Premier Pension
EVERGREEN RETIREMENT TRUST QROPS SCAM Read More »
EVERGREEN – HARD-TO-SWALLOW, EVER-GRIM QROPS Why hard to swallow? Around 300 victims of this pension liberation scam are anxiously waiting to see whether they can ever get any of their fund out – and whether there is anything left of the original £10 million. A few victims have got out successfully over the past few
EVERGREEN – HARD-TO-SWALLOW, EVER-GRIM QROPS SCAM Read More »
QROPS provider STM Group’s Alan Kentish, is delighted to deliver reports of record profits for 2017. I wonder how delighted the victims of his previous scam, the Trafalgar Multi Asset Fund, are to hear this. I think we’d be more delighted to hear that Kentish planned to pay all the victims of this investment fraud (currently
Alan Kentish of STM Groups delivers news of record profits for 2017 Read More »
DEMAND FOR LEONTEQ’S SWISS DERIVATIVES AWARDS TO BE WITHDRAWN alex.geissbuehler@gwp.ch, reto.weber@gwp.ch, stephan.welti@gwp.ch, pia.aeberhard@gwp.ch, admira.besic@gwp.ch, regine.wolfensberger@gwp.ch, media@leonteq.com, info@payoff.ch (Interesting use of the phrase “pay off” in the awards organisers’ email address above – I wonder who got paid off to make this disgusting award.) DEMAND FOR LEONTEQ’S SWISS DERIVATIVES AWARDS TO BE WITHDRAWN On behalf of hundreds of victims of the Continental Wealth
DEMAND FOR LEONTEQ’S AWARDS TO BE WITHDRAWN BY SWISS DERIVATIVES AWARDS Read More »
I’ve decided on a radical career change. I’m going to study to become a psychiatrist. My first patient is going to be Prof. Dr. Marc Oliver Rieger who voted Leonteq as best peddler of toxic, high-risk, crappy structured notes at the Swiss Derivatives Awards. Even before I qualify, I already know what treatment this idiot needs:
SWISS DERIVATIVES AWARD 2018 – LEONTEQ – SERIOUSLY? Read More »
DEALING WITH STRESS WHEN SCAMMED OUT OF YOUR PENSION Being scammed out of a big chunk of your pension once is bad enough. But TWICE is awful. Double pension scam victim Jessica M.J. talks about her experience and gives other victims advice about how to cope with the stress that results from being a pension
DEALING WITH STRESS WHEN SCAMMED OUT OF YOUR PENSION Read More »
LEONTEQ “DRIVEN BY POSITIVE CLIENT SENTIMENT” (Really?) In their 2017 annual report, rogue structured note provider Leonteq has reported “GROWTH ACROSS ALL REGIONS – Driven by positive client sentiment and solid demand for structured products”. I have no idea what sort of claptrap Marco Amato, CEO and CFO of Leonteq, thinks he is spinning in the 2017
LEONTEQ “DRIVEN BY POSITIVE CLIENT SENTIMENT” Read More »
CONTINENTAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT BY JODY KIRBY (OR SMART OR BELL) – Now that Continental Wealth Management/Trust boss, Darren Kirby, is coming back to Spain to help sort out the mess, it is time to engage with his former partner, Jody, to find out what she has been doing to resolve the losses suffered by hundreds
CONTINENTAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT BY JODY KIRBY (OR SMART OR BELL) Read More »
COMPLAINT TO OMI, THE ISLE OF MAN FINANCIAL SERVICES AUTHORITY, THE CENTRAL BANK OF IRELAND, FINANCIAL SERVICES AND PENSIONS OMBUDSMAN AND THE ASSOCIATION OF INTERNATIONAL LIFE OFFICES ATTENTION: Martin Middleton, CEO Michael Hampson Complaints Handler | Complaints Team | Old Mutual International T: 44 (0) 1624 655451 | Int Ext: 75451 F: 44 (0) 1624 611715 E: omifmcomplaints@ominternational.com | W: www.oldmutualinternational.com Isle of Man Financial Services
Pension scammers are hidden all around us, often dressed in smart clothes, driving smart cars and carrying impressive leather folders. They offer what seems like smart investments, push through your pension fund transfer swiftly and seamlessly. However what you don´t see on the surface is their hidden parasitic ways. These scammers will drain the funds
Top 10 Deadliest Pension Scammers Read More »
There are many different types of pension scam – just as there are many types of genuine pension scheme. This can sometimes make it difficult to tell the difference so we are her to help you inform you about, what is a pension scam. Fortunately, there are some common tell-tale signs that mean you could
What is a Pension Scam? Read More »
Debbie Abrahams takes a stand in parliament, raising the question of, “how many more pensions scandals does she (Esther McVey, Secretary of State, Work and Pensions) need before she introduces the robust regulatory oversight needed to protect peoples’ pensions for the future?“ Debbie Abrahams (pictured) has been a Member of Parliament for Oldham East and Saddleworth
Why are so many working people losing their pension funds? Read More »
Structured notes – say NO to them if an adviser wants to invest your pension in them. They are high-risk investments which are for professional investors ONLY – and not for ordinary retail investors – especially pensions. Say NO to structured notes for pensions! Structured notes have been used as pension investments for some years.
Say NO to structured notes for pensions! Read More »
QUILTER – A NEW HOBBY FOR OMI? OMI – Old Mutual International – needs to compensate thousands of victims of financial crime which they facilitated. I can’t make up my mind whether they are adopting the brand “Quilter” to attempt to shake off their sordid and toxic past, or whether they are actually taking up
QUILTER – A NEW HOBBY FOR OMI? Read More »
OMI – Old Mutual International (Quilter), SEB, ZURICH, GENERALI, FRIENDS PROVIDENT, ZURICH INTERNATIONAL, RL360 AND HANSARD INTERNATIONAL. They are all as bad as each other. They rip their clients off, charging them huge fees and commissions, tying them into useless, pointless products for years. These LIFE OFFICES – which cause the death of many life savings
OMI – AND OTHER GRIM REAPERS Read More »
When a pension or investment scam implodes (as they always do), it is important to keep tabs on where the scammers go next, what they are doing next and who is helping them. In the case of the Continental Wealth Management scam – headed up by Darren Kirby and purported to be the “sister” company
Ex Continental Wealth Scammers – where are they now? Read More »
I am very pleased indeed to announce that on 6th December 2017, Beacon Global Wealth Management terminated Richard Peasley’s employment. There was no hesitation, no argument. Beacon’s David Vacani is also responding to numerous Continental Wealth Management victims who have complained about Richard Peasley’s employment with Beacon. I have no doubt David Vacani will correspond
BEACON GLOBAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT EMPLOYS EX CWM SCAMMER Read More »
SCAMS AND SCANDALS SYMPOSIUM – PART OF THE TRANSPARENCY TASK FORCE: WEDNESDAY 15TH NOVEMBER AT THE OFFICES OF IG GROUP, 12.30 TO 5PM Pension and investment scams and scandals are a blight on financial services and saving for retirement. The energetic and inspired campaign by Darren Cooke of Red Circle successfully raised awareness of the
SCAMS AND SCANDALS SYMPOSIUM – TRANSPARENCY TASK FORCE 15.11.17 Read More »
STM Fidecs, the Gibraltar-based trustee firm used for the Trafalgar Multi Asset Scam, is now the subject of large numbers of complaints to the Gibraltar authorities. Hundreds of victims of XXXX XXXX’s unlicensed “advice” transferred safe UK pensions to a Gibraltar STM Fidecs QROPS and then he invested 100% of their funds into his own
STM Fidecs – Trafalgar Multi Asset Scam Read More »
Continental Wealth Management (CWM) was a financial advisory firm based on the Costa Blanca in Spain. Headed up by Darren Kirby, there were – until earlier in 2017 – 35 people working at the firm. The firm claimed to have £50 million worth of assets under management and around 500 clients. The firm closed down
CONTINENTAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT – PREMIER PENSION SOLUTIONS’ SISTER CO Read More »
Philip Hammond’s surprise 25% tax on QROPS transfers will leave many advisers and trustees floundering as the industry tries to make some sense of the long-term consequences for expatriates and their pensions. The uncertainty of the “five-year” change of circumstances rule will leave a huge question mark over the offshore landscape. But while the industry
TRUSSED BY A QROPS TRUSTEE? Read More »
My name is Nikki Mitchell. Lets peep behind the scenes at life at Pension Life, fighting pension scams. I’m the newest member of the team. I started in June 2016 – there was a lot to learn in six months. I am PA to Angie, but most importantly I handle a wide variety of
Life at Pension Life Fighting Scams – Behind the Scenes Read More »
JUSTICE MORGAN’S MAD MISTAKE (IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE, CHANCERY DIVISION) This judgement makes the law not just an ass, but a whole herd of donkeys. Dear Justice Morgan I refer to your judgment in the matter of Donna-Marie Hughes and Royal London Mutual Insurance Society Case Number CH/2015/0377 on 19th February 2016.
EVERGREEN RETIREMENT TRUST QROPS PENSION SCAM AND MARAZION LOANS THE WAY THE SCAM WORKED When Ark got shut down in June 2011, Stephen Ward flew to New Zealand and set up the Evergreen NZ QROPS liberation scam with Simon Swallow of Charter Square. Ward also set up a “loan” company in Cyprus called Marazion. He
Evergreen QROPS Pension Scam and Marazion Loans Read More »
Ark Pension Disaster – The Times Article – Mark Atherton Uncovers Pension Liberation Scam Money Pension scam leaves victims in debt Angie Brooks is leading a campaign to secure justice for victims of a pensions “liberation” scam Pic: Richard Pohle Mark Atherton Last updated at 12:01 AM, September 13 2014 Thousands of people have lost
ARK PENSION DISASTER – THE TIMES ARTICLE Read More »
ARK DISASTER – MARAZION/EVERGREEN PENSION LOAN SCHEMES: TIME-LINE ARK CLASS ACTION An Ark victim has suggested it would be a good idea to do a full update so everybody knows the entire story so far. I agree that’s a good idea so here is a brief outline of where we are and how we got
Ark, Evergreen Retirement Trust QROPS and Marazion Timeline Read More »
