PBA 

  
Private Banking Advisory

 "There are so many professionals telling the secuirity buyer what to do, that his self-preservation at times depends perhaps more on knowing what not to do - and when."
(Sydney B. Lurie)

The experienced Partner for the Investor with a substantial Portfolio

 January 2012

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Fraud and Investment Scams


Anyone parting with his hard-earned savings should conduct careful due diligence and while an element of personal trust will always be present before a consultant is hired investors are advised to never rely on good personal impressions or friendship alone

The selection of financial advisors should be conducted with the utmost care. Many investors suffer the results of poor or expensive financial advice. Over-reliance on Regulation is also a poor substitute for impartial advice.

"Diversified financial conglomerates are a bad idea for customers because they are riddled with conflicts of interest" (John Kay, Financial Times, 11 Feb 2009).

Now this statement may appear to be very convincing in light of the disasters that have befallen financial behemoths such as UBS, Citigroup or Merrill Lynch during the past twelve months.

But things are not as simple as that. While the age of the financial supermarket as a business strategy may be over this does not mean that focused financial service providers are necessarily free of any conflict of interest.

Investors have to judge each institution they deal with on its own merits and conduct proper due diligence before parting with their assets.


Little-known hedge fund manager threatens to jump out of building - police suspects $120 million may be lost in Colorado Ponzi scheme (Wall Street Journal, 29 April 2010)

Tom Petters convicted - perpetrator of 'Polaroid Fraud' (www.petters-fraud.com, 9 April 2010)

Sfr 40 - 50 million lost in Swiss Investment Fraud (Neue Zuercher Zeitung, 29 March 2010)

 Hedge-fund fraudster James Nicholson betrayed his own family in $150 million Ponzi scheme (New York Post, 5 April 2010)


Investment Advisor Alberto Vilar sentenced for $ 22 Mio swindle (NY Daily News, 6 February 2010)

K1 Fraud - nearly Sfr 600 Mio lost but only Sfr 350,000 in assets traced (Neue Zuercher Zeitung, 3 February 2010)

Danny Pang allegedly extracted at least $83 million in allegedly inflated fees, loans and salary (Wall Street Journal, 26 June 2009)

South African investors fleeced in alleged £1.2 billion fraud (The Times, 14 June 2009)

Victim of Madoff Scam kills himself (The Times, 12 June 2009)

Fake Financial Consultant accused of swindling eight people out of almost Euro 2 Million (The Times, 9 June 2009)
 

 

 
   


 

 

PBA will help you with the following:|

 

Should you have to understand what the 'Barrier Hit Probability' is?

Do you know what risks are hidden in your UCITS Fund?

Not all performance fee structures align interests effectively

Can you rely on performance projections?

What is private in Private Equity Funds?

Should you participate in Euro experiment?

What can rebalancing your portfolio achieve?

How can you protect yourself against states going bankrupt?

Should you trust your financial advisor?

Are you in- or outside your hedge fund's sidepocket?

Implementing an appropriate asset allocation

Can financial advisors really be 'independent'?

MIFID - a flop for the private investor

Are your management and performance fees calculated correctly?

Can you trust relatives when investing?

Pitfalls of investing in ETF's, ETN's, ETC's and ETT's

What is a step-down express certificate?

Are Hedge Fund Billionaires good for your financial health?

Should you consider 'Newcits', and what are they?

Understand why some ETF's may not perform as you expect

How to survive the global war between savers and speculators

Is your financial adviser a professional or a business man/woman?

Why traditional diversification is no longer sufficient

How to protect yourself against currency 'reform'?

Risk aspects of property and money market funds

Is my money used to pay for banker's bonuses?

What is the best way to invest in Gold?

How should you Financial Adviser be compensated and what role does the remuneration structure of his employer have?

Does it matter where my investment manager is located?

Who is ultimately responsible for the regulation of my investment fund?

Are investments in the USA sensible given proposed changes in the tax law?

Where are my confidential financial affairs still treated with respect?

How to protect yourself from toxic financial instruments

Does past performance help in picking investment managers or funds?


Should you stay away from firms that use Celebrity endorsements?


How to understand what performance statistics hide

Do you need a financial advisor that walks your dog?

Not all regulators are created equal. Which ones should you trust - and what does it mean when an advisor is regulated?


What type of Institution will suit your needs better? Large or Small Banks, Private Banks, Independent Asset Managers or Boutique Managers?

What are the implications if Hedge Funds hold massive cash reserves?

How meaningful is the fact that a Hedge Fund has had only 15 losing months during the past 15 years?

Are larger Hedge Funds or Fund of Funds necessarily better for you?


What is the correct way to set targets for performance fees on Hedge Funds?

Is a 'High-Water-Mark' sufficient to protect the interests of Investors in Hedge Funds?

Are Hedge Funds really a new Asset Class?

There are so many different Indices of Hedge Fund Performance - which one shall I pay attention to?

 


 




 

   
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