Free Dinner Anyone?

I have been planning on writing a post on Free Lunches and Seminar Selling, but came across this one from Allan Roth – so I will pass it along.  I enjoy Allan’s straightforward approach and appreciate his research. Of course, not all financial seminars are like the one he describes. You could definitely get some useful information that will help you navigate your financial future.  But don’t be naive. Financial service firms do these to get clients. I heard one advisory firm on the radio a couple of weeks back, when promoting their seminar, explain that they offer them because of their concern for the greater good of the community. Riiiight!!!  I am sure that is why they do them! From my experience, you might lose your appetite quickly if you knew how some advisors use “Seminar Selling” to grow their business.  This is a link to a warning posted by FINRA in 2009 on seminar selling. FINRA is an independent, regulatory body for the financial services industry.