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8.2.23: Forbes Catches Insurance Billionaire Lying

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GM – So I saw on the news that Subway is running a contest for one customer to win free subs for life if they legally change their name to “Subway.” 🥖
Got my wheels turning – do you wanna change your name to… Advisorist? 🤔
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Jeremiah “On the Way to the Deli” Desmarais
CEO, Advisorist
In Today’s Issue 👇️
Why 37% of Boomers are at Risk of Getting an Ugly Wall Street Haircut
How to Safeguard Older Clients From Phishy Scams
Hong Kong Broker's Billionaire Lie Comes Crashing Down
A Complete Sales & Marketing System to Generate and Close Leads
Plus, all of the week’s biggest headlines and a couple of memes.
Let’s dig in…
37% of Boomers at Risk of Getting an Ugly Wall Street Haircut

A haircut on Wall Street is never a good thing…just ask him 👆️
Classic rock, cable news, and paper checks aren’t the only things Baby Boomers love hanging onto.
(And no offense meant if you’re a Boomer – who doesn’t love jamming to a little Led Zeppelin with the windows rolled down? But I digress…)
According to a recent Fidelity study, 37% of Boomers have more stock exposure in their portfolios than they should.
At Fidelity, in particular, allocations to equities in retirement funds are about ~10% higher than where they should be for the average Boomer’s stage of life.
But there is a silver lining…
48% of Boomer investors have their portfolios on track for retirement.
In other words, the average investor just needs to rebalance after the recent market highs.
The key to all of this – as always – is that you (the advisor) communicate this to your Boomer clients.
Even if you’re constantly rebalancing their portfolios in the background, now is a great time to reach out and explain what you’re doing.
The more your clients see that you are…
1) In tune with what’s happening in the markets
2) Actively managing their assets
…the more they trust you.
Here’s a very brief email script you can use to create a new touchpoint with your Boomer clients as you rebalance their portfolios:
[Subject] Good news, {first name}
[Email]
Hey {first name} – hope you're having a great week!
I just wanted to reach out and let you know that the recent market highs have you in a good spot.
In, fact there’s been so much good growth over the past 7 months that 37% of folks at your stage of life actually have a little too much stock exposure at the moment.
With that in mind, I’m making some small tweaks in the background to rebalance everything so that you can continue to benefit from this nice little run without taking on extra risk.
You don’t have to do a thing – just wanted to reach out and let you know that I’m on top of it.
Of course, if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to call.
Take care,
{Your Name}
Avoid Phishy Situations: How to Safeguard Older Investors

All of the digital adoption that’s happened over the past 5 years in our industry has been great. (Hello 👋 doing business while on vacation.)
But it’s also created some security risks – particularly with older investors who have trouble differentiating between legitimate emails and phishing schemes.
And, to be honest, can you blame them?
There are conflicting messages where banks say they’ll never email you. And then the IRS says they’ll only communicate via mail.
But then we as advisors send emails asking for documents or signatures.
(And sometimes they might confuse our logos for bank logos, or vice versa.)
You’re obviously the “good guy,” but here’s what I’m learning…
You have to make it easy for them to tell.
Here are some suggestions for better communications with older clients who face greater security risks:
Use color-coded headers as a way to authenticate messages. (e.g. marketing emails have a green header, tax emails a red header, investment emails a blue header, etc.)
Encourage vulnerable clients to find a trusted family member to help verify legitimacy of communications before taking action
Make a habit of picking up the phone and calling ahead to let them know you’ll be sending an email. Mention the subject line in the call so they know what to look for.
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You know I value time, so I say this with complete confidence…
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Top Headlines: Everything You Need to Know
🔥 Top Headlines for Today
#️⃣ Behind the Numbers
🏃♂️💨 Americans on the Move
Having a great idea; explaining the "great" idea to legal
— Chris Bakke (@ChrisJBakke)
2:33 PM • Jul 28, 2023
Hong Kong Broker's Billionaire Fantasy Unraveled 🍾💰

Alright, there was one story that absolutely blew my mind this week 🤯
I gotta tell you about it…
The main character is a Hong Kong-based insurance broker, Calvin Lo.
And let’s just say he took resume “padding” to the next level in a bid to join Forbes' Billionaires list.
Pretty bold, eh?
Claiming a stake in a Formula 1 racing team, a $250 million Champagne collection, a lavish five-star resort, and a fleet of luxury homes worldwide, Lo painted himself as a mogul extraordinaire.
But Forbes' thorough investigation unveiled a different story.
💫 Fantasy vs. Reality: The Rise and Fall of a Billionaire Persona
Forbes revealed that Lo's supposed 10-figure net worth was far from the truth. His family's fortune was estimated at less than $200 million, not the billion-dollar empire he touted.
🛑 Red Flags Galore: Forbes Digs Deep into Lo's Fabrications
The truth proved elusive as Forbes dug into Lo's financial statements and examined his Mandarin Oriental hotel purchase.
His claim of acquiring the five-star hotel through R.E. Lee Octagon, a private investment vehicle, was debunked when no evidence of its existence surfaced.
Plus, Lo's alleged Harvard Business School education had no record to back it up, adding more doubts to his credentials.
🏠 Mommy Says, ‘Not So Fast…’
Lo's mother, Regina Lee, chairs R.E. Lee Capital, but the company refuted any association between Lo and themselves.
Even his assertion of brokering $1 billion worth of insurance sales at R.E. Lee International was contradicted, as Forbes estimated the company's actual worth to be around $60 million. 😬
🌇 The Reality Check: Lo's Humble Family Fortunes
Despite Lo's property claims in multiple cities, Forbes also discovered discrepancies here.
Only five properties were confirmed, some registered under his parents' names and others owned by different individuals.
💼 Lo's Response to Forbes' Investigation
A law firm representing Lo denied any dishonesty or unethical behavior on his part, despite the avalanche of evidence against him.
Let’s just call this a cautionary tale about…ahem…padding resumes in pursuit of a billionaire dream.
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