An advisor pretending to be a "satisfied" client

Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 10:33:05 EST
From: ASanf@aol.com
Reply-To: ASanf@aol.com
Subject: Web Site Email Message
To: webmaster@amexsux.com

I have had a fabulous experience with my American Express/Ameriprise
financial advisor. They have assisted me in looking at a total overall picture of my
entire life. I was able to make several correction in strategies and I will be
able to retire much sooner than I expected. I have referred my advisor to
several friends who also have had excellent experiences. Although no large company
is perfect, my life is so much better than it was when I was working with a
stock broker who only wanted to invest rather than help me organize my life.
May I suggest that you take a more objective view of the benefits? Thank you.

http://www.sonomacf.org/giving_through_us/2005profdir.pdf

Scroll down and you'll see the sender's email listed as an AEFA advisor.

What a nimrod. Sounds like something bluebox would do but even I don't think bluebox is this stupid.

Webmaster wrote on Jan 2^nd, 2006, 9:28pm:


not to burst anyone's bubble, praytell and I'm not a fan of Amerprise but might a fellow advisor use the services of the company they work for and might this advisor be happy with his advisor?  If you're a lawyer, you're not your own lawyer and even with the saying "physician, heal thyself", dr's see other dr's don't they?  But maybe an advisor handles their own finances for all I know but sometimes one might want a "different set of eyes" (or a neutral party) to advise on one's own finances mighten they?  Correct me if I'm way off base.  Just a thought here.

I wouldn't take an advisor's word for it even if they were a happy client of the company they work for (e.g. conflict of interest in influencing potential clients).

Hmmm, maybe Amerprise fa's have to go elsewhere for investment advice regarding their own personal finances !  are they not allowed to get advice where they work  or do they always have to be their own advisors?  Not to burst a bubble, no Siree, but perhaps they're too busy advising others to bother with their own goings on?  So could it actually be feasible that this fa is an actual client?

To get to the bottom of this, those who are concerned should contact the fa directly and ask him to explain himself.  Innocent until proven guilty I always say.

The Farm Bureau Alice Sanford might be her own advisor too.

Good grief. Look at this:

"Alice Sanford, Certified Financial Planner (CFP). A partner at Sanford, Jigalin, Seymour & Associates, Santa Rosa, Sanford has over 20 year of financial-planning experience and is the holder of numerous citations for excellence in her field. She is a member of the Financial Planning Association, the Society of Financial Services Professionals, and the National Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors. Under her affiliation with American Express Financial Advisors, she has been a recipient of the President's Recognition Award; a member of the President's Advisory Council; a member of the Advanced Advisor Group; a member of the Diamond Ring Club; and a participant in the Circle of Success Advisor Summit Conference. Sanford has  served on the Advisory Committee of the National Women's History project, and as a board member for the Drug Abuse Alternative Center. A Santa Rosa resident, she holds a B.S. degree from the University of Rochester, and has three children and four grandchildren."

http://www.seniorallianceteam.com/Barbara_Holmes_REALTOR.shtml

She must be really good at BS. Oh, look, she has a degree in BS. And, she works at Amerip - she may even be getting her Masters in BS.

Actually, this is pathetic. What would cause a grandmother no less to pull a dishonest stunt like this? Could it be....years of high pressure sales? Is this what happens to people when spend years trying to pull the wool over the eyes of people they are trying to convince to trust them? What did she pull to get those awards?

Here it is, folks, the logical conclusion of a seasoned Amerip salesperson. A sad liar, bent on deceiving. Just like some of the Amerip posters we have here. I wonder what it's like to live with their conscience. Do they even care any more?

Yea, I think we should call in and ask her.

"How bad of an advisor were you that hate AMP/AEFA so much? "

I am not an advisor. Never have been. Never will be. But I've sure seen and helped a lot of people that were harmed by you guys.

"How successful could you be now that you have so much time to write here?"

It's because I was so successful that I now have time to do things like this. How touching that you are so interested in my personal life. I don't care about yours at all.

"I am sure you will attack me"

It seems to be you that are attacking me! lol
Guess you don't really have much of an honest defense of Amerip to offer, eh?

"and the company"

Well, most of what I post is from sources like Morningstar or the SEC attacking Amerip. In fact, your fellow salesmen are always attacking me for never giving my own opinion.

" about this posting because NO ONE possibly could help people at AMP - truth is, you are either very immature, lonely or just lack the life experience"

Yikes, ad hominem! As they say: "The ad hominem is the last refuge of
the failed argument."

" to see that all companies have flaws"

Perhaps, but some companies have way more flaws than others and keep breaking the law again and again and screwing their clients again and again. And some companies have rotten corpotate culture. For example:

"Corporate Culture: Poor  
Since his arrival in September 2001, Ted Truscott has led an extensive effort to improve the firm's struggling equity and fixed-income lineup. He has opened niche offices in Boston and Cambridge, Mass. to attract better talent, and farmed out management duties on a number of funds to proven subadvisors to give investors decent options until his reforms take hold.

But the December 2005 market-timing settlement indicates the shop has a ways to go before it can claim to have a solid corporate culture. Ameriprise did not provide fundholders with full details when the investigation was being conducted, and even after the settlement, it has failed to provide a complete account of what went on. In fact, the settlement announcement on Ameriprise's Web site is glaring in its eagerness to reassure stockholders in the company rather than show concern for fundholders.

Ameriprise has also acknowledges using soft dollars--in essence shifting research costs onto investors through inflated broker commissions--something that doesn't show up in a fund's expense ratio. The firm has taken advantage of the overhaul to merge away offerings with terrible records in an effort to partly hide the shop's troubled past.

Also, we have a number of other concerns about this shop. Affiliated unit American Financial Services has been investigated by and settled charges with regulators during the past several years for various misdeeds, including failure to give breakpoint discounts to investors, the method in which brokers are compensated, and pushing in-house funds over possibly better options. Though the brokerage unit is separate from the unit that manages the funds, investors should note the inherent conflict of buying a fund through an advisor who may have incentives to steer them toward proprietary funds."

That's not me speaking. That's Morningstar. If this is wrong, I'm sure they will print a retraction. Post that retraction here when it comes out...hahaha

" and it always comes down to the individuals who deal one-on-one with people who make the "company" what it is or what it will be."

And we've all seen what kind of individuals work at Ameriprise. This site is a good example. The liar that wrote the above letter to the webmaster is a good example. All the Amerip salesmen I have interviewed are good examples. All the Amerip clients that I have helped get out of the mess Amerip got them into are great examples of what the deceitful salesmen at Amerip do to people.

Further, if you look around on other discussion groups, you will find lots more examples of people that Amerip salesmen have hurt.

On top of all that, the media is full of accounts of civil suits and class actions and regulatory issues with Amerip.  

"Go service your existing clients or get off the computer for awhile - you will learn far more than you do on this site and possibly be better able to offer some insight when you come back."

lol, yet another salesman who doesn't want the truth to be told.  

"A toast to all advisors who care about their clients - no matter what firm they are at!"

And it doesn't seem like they are at Amerip!

Are you Alice Sanford?

Quote:
I was able to make several correction in strategies and I will be  
able to retire much sooner than I expected

The advisor could predict the future......RIGHT.

I am not surprised that advisors (salesmen/women) give testamonials.  Perhaps no one else will do it.  

Its incredible!  even when they get caught shilling the other shills start shilling in the defense of Amerarip.   What could be more telling about the insidious nature of this corp.   I love the "all companies have problems" crap.   Well, they are in good company, leftist sociologists use this line to defend thieves and murderers all the time.  You see they are not criminals they just have problems.