Who Can you Trust with Your Money? [Paperback]

Bonnie Kirchner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0137033656 | ISBN-13: 978-0137033652 | Publication Date: February 28, 2010 | Edition: 1

“ Bonnie Kirchner is perhaps the only person in America who is qualified enough to write this book. She has the experience, the firsthand knowledge, and the credibility to help you find a personal financial advisor you can trust. In ways no other author could, she helps you navigate the oftentimes treacherous world of personal financial advice and helps you learn how to find someone you can trust with your money, your financial plan, and your life’s goals.”

— Robert Powell, Editor, Retirement Weekly; Retirement Columnist, MarketWatch.com/retirement

 

“ This book is a must read for those consumers thinking about hiring a financial advisor and for those who have one already. Bonnie shares her personal story so that you can be protected from the scammers and the thieves that seem to lurk in the shadows. 99% of financial advisors are the good guys that wear the white hats and really want to help their clients succeed. Bonnie can help you sift through the masses to weed out that bad seed.”

— Dee Lee, CFP®, Harvard Financial Educators and Personal Finance Editor, WBZ radio–CBS affiliate, Boston

 

“ The two biggest risks to your financial well-being are not the markets and the economy; they are fraud and bad advice. The author shares her personal story of how this can happen even with those we trust the most. More importantly, she gives you the knowledge of what financial planning is all about and then how to steer clear of potential fraud or just plain bad advisors!”

— Dave Caruso, CFP®, Chairman and CEO, Coastal Capital Group

 

Is Your Financial Advisor Stealing From You?

 

If it could happen to Bernie Madoff’s clients, it could happen to you. Make sure it doesn’t. Bonnie Kirchner reveals the hidden signs that could mean you’re getting ripped off–and what to do about it if you are. You’ll also learn how to identify a truly reputable advisor and build a relationship that gives you your money’s worth. Nobody’s more qualified than Kirchner to write this book. She’s a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional who was one of New England’s leading TV personal finance reporters. And, as the unwitting victim of her ex-husband, notorious Ponzi schemer Brad Bleidt, she found her own life ripped apart by one of the nation’s biggest financial scandals. Since divorcing Bleidt, she’s devoted herself to understanding exactly how financial scammers operate. This book shares everything she learned the hard way–so you won’t have to!

 

• Choose a capable advisor you can trust

• Ask the right questions; check the right details

• Build a successful relationship with your advisor

• Recognize minor discrepancies that may mean something is very wrong

• Protect yourself if you learn you are being ripped off

Editorial Reviews

Review

As seen on Fox Business, CBS MoneyWatch.com, USA Weekend, Minyanville.com, AOL's Walletpop.com, TheSimpleDollar.com and The New York Daily News

About the Author

Bonnie Kirchner, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, holds a B.S. degree in Financial Counseling and Planning from Purdue University and a Master’s degree in Taxation from Bentley University. For several years, she was a fixture on the Boston radio and television scene, providing financial information to millions of people. She was also married to Brad Bleidt–a charming, clever financial advisor who ran one of the country’s largest Ponzi investment scams before Madoff–and gives her extraordinary personal insight into both scammers and their unwitting victims. For more information, go to $ea Change Financial Education, LLC at www.seachangefinancial.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: FT Press; 1 edition (February 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0137033656
• ISBN-13: 978-0137033652
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,295,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bonnie Kirchner is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ® practitioner with a Master of Science degree in Taxation from Bentley University in Waltham, MA. Ms. Kirchner received her Bachelor of Science degree in Financial Counseling and Planning from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN and has been practicing since 1990. Early in Bonnie's career she became passionate about educating individuals on financial topics. A frequent speaker on retirement, estate, long-term care, investing, and education planning concepts in the Boston area, she also contributed financial content to various publications and radio programming. Ms. Kirchner eventually began hosting the financial talk show "Handling Change" and most recently co-anchored "Early Exchange", a morning drive business magazine heard on Boston's business radio station. Ms. Kirchner also served as the financial reporter for Boston's CBS affiliate, delivering financial information each weekday morning, live from the Boston Stock Exchange. Bonnie is the founder and owner of Even Keel Financial Services, LLC and $ea Change Financial Education, LLC, and is an Investment Advisor Representative of Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc., an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Bonnie Kirchner, Even Keel Financial Services, and $ea Change Financial Education are not affiliated with Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. She lives and maintains her practice in Marion, Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that belongs in every investor's library, April 11, 2010

By 

David M. Gordon (Summerlin, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Who Can you Trust with Your Money? (Paperback)

Talk about betrayal. Not to diminish the impact of a man philandering on his wife, but to lie and steal from your mother, from your family, from your friends, from your colleagues, from your clients -- and, yes, from your wife -- is betrayal of the highest order of magnitude. Really, who can you trust?

Bonnie Kirchner tells us who when it regards our money in Who Can You Trust With Your Money?; an important, necessary, and timely book. Just as only Nixon could open relations with China, only Bonnie Kirchner could write this book. Kirchner is a Certified Financial Planner practitioner, was one of New England's leading TV personal finance reporters... and was a casualty of her ex-husband's (Brad Bleidt) notorious Ponzi scheme.

On November 10, 2004, I was on top of the world. My husband and I were commemorating a major milestone for the radio station we worked so hard to build. Finally we were taking programming twenty four hours, seven days a week. I couldn't have been more satisfied with my career, despite the grueling hours and the toll it was taking on my personal life. The morning after the celebration, our company's receptionist came to my office door with a package. It had my husband's writing on it, and I think we both drew the conclusion that it was an attempt by Brad to be romantic. "Too little, too late" was what I was thinking. Our marriage had been deteriorating since its inception five years prior... I opened the package and found a small recording device with a sticker pointing to the play button, which said "Press here" on it, once again in Brad's handwriting. I hit play. "Hello, Bonnie, it's me. Straight to the chase here. Tragic, tragic news..."
(From the book's Introduction.)

So this guy Bleidt is the largest Ponzi schemer in history (that is, until Bernie Madoff strides into the picture), and he lacks the courage to tell the truth in person, resorting to taped messages so he can continue to hide under his rock. Or fester in jail.

Bonnie Kirchner obviously is a quick study. She offers many tips on how to spot the red flags that could alert you to dishonest financial advisors:
* Do a "broker check"
* Check references
* Ask the right questions about any disturbing regulatory or disciplinary history on the part of the advisor or his/her firm
* Be wary of any discrepancies you discover or a lack of a desire on the potential advisor's part to provide you with requested information
* Don't accept vague explanations when it comes to investment strategies to be employed for your money
* Verify where your investments will be held and what insurance coverage exists
* Uncover potential compensation arrangements and determine whether or not they are in line with your expectations
* Assess whether the advisor is overly eager to accept your assets and if so, why?

Successful investing often confounds investors; Kirchner offers to her readers, in plain English, the answers she found to the questions posed above, and many others; her guidance helps investors of all types, shapes, and sizes.

The true beauty of Who Can You Trust With Your Money?, though, is that Kirchner does not stop with discerning fraud perpetrated by financial advisors, but delves deeply into the topics of wealth management and estate planning. Her book offers no Holy Grail of successful investing, nor how to uncover the next Google/GOOG; it ventures neither topic. Kirchner's subtle message is that successful money management requires effort, just as with successful relationships; no paved road to easy wealth exists.

Not what you want to hear, I am sure. Diligence and effort present their own rewards, though. As with all good things in life, the journey trumps the destination; Bonnie Kirchner shines a guiding light to help you on your way. In doing so, Who Can You Trust With Your Money? earns my highest recommendation; a book that belongs in every investor's library as handy resource, if not read frequently for the many insights it contains.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You can trust this author, July 15, 2010

By 

Zvi Bodie (Brookline, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Who Can you Trust with Your Money? (Paperback)

Anyone considering hiring a financial adviser should read this book. The author, an experienced financial planner and media personality, was deceived by her own husband,a dishonest financial planner who stole from his clients and family. The book offers essential advice about how you can avoid people like him.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who Can You Trust with Your Money, by By Barbara Kirchner, June 4, 2010

By 

Scott F. Petrie - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Who Can you Trust with Your Money? (Paperback)

I highly recommend this book for a practical, common sense approach to investing. The Introduction and first chapter are an amazing personal account of the authors experience as the ex-spouse of Brad Bleidt, convicted of a Ponzi Investment scheme. She details how scammers rob their clients through a detailed web of lies and deception. She then presents a chapter by chapter "workbook" of tips, advise, strategy and glossary of financial terms that is easy to read and even easier to apply to your investing "plan". As non-financial professional, I found it a great practical, easy read......and a "must" to have in your bookshelf for quick reference !!!