In many pension scams, we see the use of totally unsuitable, high-risk, for-professional-investor-only structured notes. These notes often offer the introducer high commissions. However, they are risky, fixed-term investments that often end in the loss of some – or even all – of the fund invested. Therefore, these types of investments are totally unsuitable for […]
Structured notes – knowing the risks Read More »
Victims of the unregulated property scheme Harlequin, may be disheartened to know that Alistair Burns has escaped with a reduced fine for his role as chief executive of TailorMade International. The FCA originally proposed Burns should face a fine of £233,600, along with a ban back in December 2016. However, the Upper Tribunal, whilst upholding the ban, has
TailorMade International – gets a tailor-made fine reduction Read More »
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 I am investigating Robusto Asset Management – qualified and registered? IFAs and their clients are invited to add to it, correct it, improve it. Here’s a link to
Robusto Asset Management – qualified and registered? Read More »
STM Group has announced the following trading updates for the first half of this year. STM state that the first half of the year has progressed in line with management´s expectations. They refer to this with particular emphasis on their SIPPS program. For those readers who are unfamiliar with STM’s past investment scams, here is a
STM Group Plc – announces trading update Read More »
Abbey Wealth Spain – qualified and registered? 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, Abbey Wealth Spain – qualified and registered? Advisers and their clients are invited to add to it, correct it and
Abbey Wealth Spain – qualified and registered? Read More »
Investors’ trust is what gets violated in so many cases by irresponsible and negligent insurance companies such as Old Mutual International, SEB, Generali, RL360, Friends Provident International – and, of course, the firm in the Cayman Islands: Investors Trust. These companies – also known as “life offices” (although we prefer to call them “death offices”
Serious Violation of Investors’ Trust – by Investors Trust (life office) Read More »
49-year-old Freddy David of Elstree, Borehamwood, of North London, faces six years in jail for conning millions of pounds out of people in his community through an investment scam. David, once a well-respected member of his community and former financial adviser, obtained money by deception to fund his gambling habit. Figures of his scam are
Jailed – adviser who gambled his investors´ money away Read More »
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Protected: Forth Capital – qualified & registered? Read More »
Trustees have the power to block pension transfers if they suspect a scam – they must use it! Now the Ombudsman has upheld a complaint against the Police trustee, there is hope for further justice against negligent pension trustees. In the Royal London v Hughes case, Royal London suspected an attempted transfer was destined to
Trustees Must Block Transfers to Pension Scams Read More »
At Pension Life, we write about the good, the bad and the ugly faces of pension and investment news. Unfortunately, there is rarely much good – and quite frequently a lot of bad and ugly news. Using social media like Linkedin and Facebook, we get our blogs out to the masses – because that’s what
Linkedin – locked out Read More »
Utmost Wealth and Generali PanEurope are set to merge with the help of Life Company Consolidation Group (LCCG). The plan is to re-brand as Utmost PanEurope. I wonder if this merger will do its utmost to ensure they manage and mitigate their future victims´ – sorry clients´ – risks, and protect their investments – as they
Generali, an utter disgrace, merging with Utmost Wealth Read More »
Independent News has written an article entitled – No-deal Brexit will make it ‘illegal’ to pay pensions to retired British expats living in EU, MPs told. In my opinion its just a move to scaremonger expats – paving the way for more scammers. There are expats all over the world claiming their pensions. Why should
Scaremongering expats – paving the way for more scams Read More »
Pension Life campaigns for awareness of corrupt financial advisers and advisory firms operating without the correct licences. Outing theses advisers and firms, in the hope that the authorities will do something about the state of it all, is one way of bringing these scammers to justice and warning the public. A recent article in
TV licence enforcement versus unlicensed advisers Read More »
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, I am investigating Seagate Wealth Management Spain – qualified and registered? IFAs and their clients are invited to add to, correct and improve this blog. Here’s a
Seagate Wealth Management Spain – qualified and regulated? Read More »
Pensions Ombudsman’s Determination – Justice for Police Victim Among the flood of apathy, laziness and callousness by ceding pension trustees since at least 2010, we now have a Pensions Ombudsman’s determination which will hopefully result in more trustees being brought to account – and more victims getting justice. The London Quantum victim who made the
London Quantum pension scam – Ombudsman finds Police Guilty Read More »
Humour me – you may consider me to be naive – but I believe that the ills of financial services (especially offshore) can be put right. All it takes is for the ethical stakeholders to outlaw the unethical ones. Yes, it will be a bit like something out of the Old Testament – but I
WANTED: MAGIC FAIRY TO CURE WHAT’S WRONG WITH FINANCIAL SERVICES OFFSHORE Read More »
When I grow up, I want to be able to write blogs as eloquently as the Mighty Henry Tapper – the Pension Ploughman with a huge plough which furrows deeply through much of the bullshit on Twitter. He also tolerates Ros Altmann with grace and generosity – which is something I could never do no matter
Waging War on Willy Wagglers Read More »
Pension Life is working towards making offshore financial advisers more transparent. We have created a list of 10 essential questions for offshore advisers and their preferred answers. For too long precious pension funds been left in the hands of unqualified, unregistered advisers and unregulated financial advisory firms. Offshore advisers need to follow a strict set of
10 essential questions for offshore advisers Read More »
Who would have thought that the series of blogs, ….. company name … qualified and registered? would have caused such a stir? On one side I have anonymous readers attacking my words, on another I have grateful victims of pension scams thanking me for outing these companies. From a third direction, I have IFAs telling
Qualified and registered? Comments, complaints and feedback Read More »
OMI IPO Profit Warning – urgent please read carefully. Old Mutual International (OMI) have entered into an IPO – initial public offering. This means they have become a public company rather than a private one. Frequent readers of Pension Life blogs will know that OMI have featured heavily in our recent blogs with regards to issues
OMI IPO Profit Warning Read More »
Old Mutual International filed a High Court application on 16th March 2018. On 20.3.18, Old Mutual obtained a judgment in the High Court of Justice of the Isle of Man (Case Reference 18/0012). His Honour The Deemster Doyle, First Deemster and Clerk of the Rolls delivered his determination to OMI’s lawyer, Elizabeth Simpson of Simcocks.
OLD MUTUAL INTERNATIONAL V LEONTEQ CASE MOVED TO LONDON Read More »
David Vilka of Square Mile International Financial Services has exactly the sort of lawyer one would expect: a scammer’s lawyer. Unsurprisingly, this dope can’t even spell Vilka’s victim’s name and has referred to him as “Mr Sexton” as opposed to “Mr Sefton”. But, again, this is no surprise. What I must challenge, however, is the fact that
DAVID VILKA’S VILE US ATTORNEY Read More »
Pension Life followers will know that we have been conducting a series of blog investigations – “qualified & registered?” into offshore pension companies offering financial advice for retail pension investments. Some of the data we have collated is rather worrying – the purpose of this blog is to rank the companies in order of their
Qualified & registered? We do not need to be – we are offshore! Read More »
One of the hundreds of Continental Wealth Management victims stuck in a useless and expensive SEB Life International bond, and ruined by crippling investment losses, has made a detailed complaint to SEB. Some idiot from SEB called Orla Golden has replied – and the response is astonishing. Below are my answers to this ridiculous rebuttal.
SEB LIFE (OR DEATH) – WILL THE CENTRAL BANK OF IRELAND BRING THEM TO JUSTICE? Read More »
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 »
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 Woodbrook Group – qualified and registered? See question 5 on our blog about the ten essential questions to ask any advisory firm you are considering using:
Woodbrook Group – qualified and registered? Read More »
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: are Globaleye Dubai’s advisers qualified and registered? IFAs and their clients are invited to add to it, correct it, improve it. Here’s a link to the three
Globaleye Dubai – advisers qualified and registered? Read More »
FNB International Trustees Guernsey has been caught facilitating financial crime. With their pants firmly around their ankles, they are now trying to “defend” their actions using law firm Carey Olsen and are threatening the victim of this crime with adverse costs. And this is what we always find so hard to comprehend: a trustee firm
FNB International Trustees – Guernsey Read More »
Fast Pensions – Slow Law Enforcement – Stationary Regulators – same old, same old. Looks like the embarrassment of our hopeless, lazy and impotent regulators and limp law enforcement when it comes to financial crime has struck yet another blow for justice and another goal for the scammers in this case the Moats of Fast
FAST PENSIONS – SLOW LAW ENFORCEMENT – STATIONARY REGULATORS Read More »
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 Spectrum IFA Group – qualified and registered? IFAs and their clients are invited to add to it, correct it, improve it. Here’s a link
Spectrum IFA Group – qualified and registered? Read More »
I’ve been very concerned about Dolphin Trust GmbH for some time. There’s an awful lot of pension money being loaned to this company – and I don’t get to hear of many (in fact any) people who have had their loans repaid. That doesn’t mean they haven’t been repaid – it just means I haven’t heard
Trussed by Dolphin Trust? 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 »
Can Blacktower Spain fare any better than other companies we have looked into? How many of their advisers will come out qualified and registered? 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
Blacktower Spain – Qualified and Registered? Read More »
Today I am investigating the Blevins Franks Spain office – let’s see how qualified and registered their financial team are. Many advisers claim to be qualified, but if they do not appear on either the CII or CISI register, you can’t check out what their qualifications actually are. IFAs and their clients are invited to
Blevins Franks Spain – Qualified and registered? Read More »
Most victims of pension and investment scams bitterly regret not having asked more questions with regards to their financial planning. The problem is that they wouldn’t have known what questions to ask, and they probably wouldn’t have understood the answers even if they had. Pension Life offer you 10 essential questions to ask an IFA so
10 essential questions to ask an IFA 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 »
Holborn Assets’ Kensington Fund – Another trap to ruin victims. Why do I say that? There are many reasons: Firstly, Holborn Assets should compensate the existing victims of past scams before contemplating moving on to new ones. There are plenty of Holborn Assets clients facing disastrous losses because of being invested in toxic UCIS funds
Holborn Assets’ Kensington Fund – Another Trap to Ruin Victims Read More »
STM Fidecs and the Gibraltar FSC – Evil lives on at the rock I have read the report about what happened to the scammers at STM Fidecs in the wake of the Gibraltar FSC’s investigation and Deloitte’s so-called “expert report”. Frankly, I am stunned. I have members who are victims of the Trafalgar Multi-Asset Fund and
STM Fidecs and the Gibraltar FSC – Evil lives on at the rock 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 »
Pension Life was saddened to hear the news that David Trinkwon has passed away. David Trinkwon, coordinator of the EEA Investors’ Group had for a number of years campaigned passionately against EEA Fund Management (Guernsey) Ltd – “EEAFMG”) to help 1000´s of victims of the toxic, collapsed fund. David Trinkwon established EEA Litigation Management early in 2016 to
David Trinkwon – EEA Investors’ Group – RIP Read More »
Yesterday, Wednesday 30th May, in the High Court, the petition to wind up Fast Pensions and the associated companies and occupational pension schemes, was heard. The order was made that the companies and schemes should be wound up. I would like to thank Michael Gibbon, the son of one of the Fast Pensions members, for
High Court Winds up Fast Pensions Read More »
Spongebob Parker Squarepants of Holborn Assets has apparently been telling his salesmen that he has paid Glynis Broadfoot £150,000 in compensation for the destruction of her pension by Holborn Assets. Not only is this a big porky pie (she hasn’t had a penny) but it is a cynical and dishonest tactic used to placate and
HOLBORN ASSETS – SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS 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 »
International Investment interview with Angie Brooks, founder of Pension Life this week. This blog is written by Kim, Angie´s Assistant. Here´s the interview video which explains how Pension Life works to help victims of pension and investment scams. The interview also raises the question as to why pension and investment scams are so prolific –
International Investment interview with Pension Life´s Angie Brooks 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 »
I like to have a good relationship with regulators. And believe me I have tried really really hard with the FCA. I didn’t have much of a relationship with the Pensions Regulator in the past. I asked for a meeting with Tinky Winky, tPR’s former executive director. He turned up with two lawyers (in case one
£11,000,000,000. That is an awfully big number. But this is what financial fraud of pension and investment scamming cost thousands of victims in 2016 according to reported statistics. This begs the urgent question: why have so few – if any – of them been prosecuted? The Pensions Regulator’s Lesley Titcomb has now officially and
Introduction: Anatomy of a Pension Scam Read More »
