Stop The Investing Rip-Off: How to Avoid Being a Victim and Make More Money (Your Coach in a Box) [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

David B. Loeper (Author), Walter Dixon (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009 | Series: Your Coach in a Box

In 2006, the GDP for financial services was nearly $1.1 trillion. Total U.S. financial assets stood at $44 trillion in 2007, meaning that the financial services industry as a whole is skimming 2.5% a year out of everyone's wealth.

Some of these costs are obvious, like ATM fees, insurance premiums, mutual fund expense ratios, brokerage commissions or investment advisory fees. Some are hidden or at least require some extreme effort to discover. These costs have a supreme effect on personal wealth. For mutual funds, hedge funds, and stocks there are hidden costs such as managerial fees or marketing expenses that can cost investors at least 3-6% of their earnings. These dangers to investors are real, and Loeper sheds light on the oft unseen deceit of the financial services industry.

The emotional sales and marketing that victimize your wealth and lifestyle abound. Some of the most misleading of these marketing tactics even have the nerve (or lack of ethics?) to position their firm as being the objective, honest segments of the industry. The majority of investors are victims, of charlatans, smooth talking and good looking salespeople, or effective advertising and marketing designed to evade reality and prey on emotional desires.

This audiobook serves as an advocate of the consumer... to expose what insiders know about the side of the sales pitches that consumers don't, but need to hear. Stop the Investing Ripoff exposes questions every investor should ask during a financial sales pitch before they pull the trigger and buy the next book, magazine, mutual fund, or advisory service. It is based on David Loper's nearly 25 years of experience of seeing the inner workings of the industry.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

t

he INVESTING Rip-off

Praise for the Second Edition of Stop the Investing Rip-off:How to Avoid Being a Victim and Make More Money

"There are money morons everywhere! I'm sick of running into them at neighborhood gatherings and family holidays and business lunches and in every form of media, always making mistakes that make other guys millionaires. It makes me want to clap my hand over their flapping lips and jam a copy of David's book into their paws. It's a sucker-bait neutralizer—and, boy, do we need fewer suckers." —Jason Kelly, author of The Neatest Little Guide to Stock Market Investing

Investment firms lie. Many are packed with charlatans and smooth-talking salespeople using insidious advertising and marketing techniques designed to prey on your emotional desires against your better financial judgment. But that isn't to say there isn't money to be made. Based on investment management expert David Loeper's almost twenty-five years of experience studying the investment industry from the inside, this fully revised and updated edition of Stop the Investing Rip-off is the only book you need to avoid being scammed and to make sure you are getting the most out of your money.

Shedding some much-needed light on the often unseen deceit practiced by the financial services industry and offering all-new strategies based on the performance of the stock market over the past two years, the book provides—and explains—the questions every investor needs to ask before parting with their hard-earned cash. A staunch advocate of the consumer, the book teaches you the tricks that insiders use to make attractive sales pitches and how to dig deeper to uncover whether these opportunities are the real deal.The complete guide to avoiding hidden charges and making more money, Stop the Investing Rip-off ???is the one-stop resource for the savvy individual investor. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

David B. Loeper is the CEO of Financeware, Inc. Prior to founding Financeware in 1999, Loeper was Managing Director of Strategic Planning for the retail brokerage division of Wheat First Union and served on the Investment Advisory Committee of the nearly $30 billion Virginia Retirement System. Loeper has been active in several industry associations including the IMCA (Investment Management Consultants Association.) He has also been a featured speaker at numerous industry events and often contributes to industry publications as well as appearing on CNBC, Bloomberg TV and Yahoo Financevision.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Your Coach In A Box; Abridged edition (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159659344X
• ISBN-13: 978-1596593442
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.2 x 6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,063,286 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

DAVID B. LOEPER, CIMA(R), CIMC(R)
Author and Chairman/Chief Executive Officer- Financeware, Inc.

David B. Loeper is a Certified Investment Management Analyst SM, a Certified Investment Management Consultant SM and the CEO of Financeware, Inc. which does business as Wealthcare Capital Management. An SEC Registered Investment Adviser with nearly 25 years experience, Loeper has appeared on CNBC and has been a featured contributor on Bloomberg TV.

Loeper joined Wheat First Securities as vice president of investment consulting in 1988, where he served for 10 years. He was promoted to managing director of investment consulting, and then eventually to managing director of strategic planning for the retail brokerage division. He left his position at Wheat First Securities in 1999 to found Financeware.

Active in industry associations throughout his career, Loeper has been a member of the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA) for over 20 years, serving on the advisory council for more than 5 years, most recently as chairman. Loeper was also appointed by the governor of Virginia to serve on the Investment Advisory Committee of the nearly $30 billion Virginia Retirement System. He received his CIMA(R) designation in 1990 by completing a program offered through Wharton Business School, in conjunction with IMCA.

Drawing on years of experience in financial services including serving as a fiduciary for all types of ERISA plans, Loeper has authored numerous whitepapers and books including the top selling book, Stop the 401k Rip-off! as well as The Four Pillars of Retirement Plans, Stop the Retirement Rip-off and Stop the Investing Rip-off.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tells it like it really is!, February 12, 2010

By 

LOTONtech "What you need to know, and no more!" (www.lotontech.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stop the Investing Rip-off: How to Avoid Being a Victim and Make More Money (Paperback)

I like books such as this one, which tell it like it really is in the "financial advice" business. Don't meet with a financial advisor to discuss a pension scheme, insurance plan, or any other investment until you have read this book!

I don't necessarily agree with the 'solution' -- which implicitly involves engaging the author's firm, albeit sold softly -- but I certainly agree with the 'problem' that is so expertly outlined in this book.

Tony Loton, author - Don't Lose Money!: (In The Stock Markets)

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The business of investing is not the same as investing in businesses, August 14, 2009

By 

Mariusz Skonieczny "Author" (Schaumburg, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stop the Investing Rip-off: How to Avoid Being a Victim and Make More Money (Paperback)

I read the book Investing in One Lesson by Mark Skousen who said that the business of investing is not the same as investing in a business. Stop the Investing Rip-Off describes to readers what the business of investing is all about. The author educates investors about brokers, advisors, discount brokers, financial planners, wealth managers, and authors. I cannot overemphasize the importance of understanding the business of investing in order to be successful at investing.

I absolutely loved this book. I did not agree with everything, but it really makes you think about everything you think you know. I highly recommend it.

- Mariusz Skonieczny, author of Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market? Learn how to invest your money, how to pick stocks, and how to make money in the stock market

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A map through the landmines of the investing industry, July 13, 2009

By 

R. P. Wilson "Finance Pro" (VA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stop the Investing Rip-off: How to Avoid Being a Victim and Make More Money (Paperback)

This book is an easy read but is packed with valuable information about the motivations and conflicts of many investment advisors sitting across the desk from you in their office or in the coffee shop providing supposedly sage independent advice about your financial future. Many advisory professionals are sincere in their advice practice, but uninformed of the fallacies they spread as gospel, because they were taught a fallacious view on investments by the firm they work for or are one of many advisor addicted to casino style betting financial jargon and fads of the popular financial media. The worse of them are simply trying to maximize the commissions or fees they earn while minimizing the effort to do so in order to live their own financial dreams, and have rationalized themselves into believing they are doing more good than harm, while avoiding any fiduciary duty to you ahead of their own interests.

One of the biggest industry lies Loeper exposes in very straightforward language is that despite regulatory diclosures that the past market performance of any stock, mutual fund, or other investment is not indicative of future performance, a very high percentage of all presentations to investors are essentially trying to tell investors the opposite is true. That the advisor himself, or another money manager they are recommending, supposedly does have a performance track record that foretells of future riches for the investor - a selling point in direct conflict with this required disclosure.

Many examples of this type can be found in this book and it provides the reader with several types of questions they can ask a prospective advisor to help avoid possibly catastrophic pitfalls.