Many baby boomers invested in TICs — tenant-in-common projects — between 2001 and 2007. Nearly a decade later, many of these folks are now finding themselves the victim of TIC fraud. How serious is the problem? Several shady promoters claim to have raised over a billion each. An IRS ruling in 2002 opened the door […]
Tenant in Common (TIC) Fraud 101 – Thousands Now Discovering The Truth
by Brian Mahany Tenant in Common (TIC for short) is a real estate investment that allows multiple parties to purchase a fractional interest in a property. TICs became very popular in 2002 after the IRS ruled that investors could defer capital gains from the sale of real estate involving an “exchange” of properties. (These are […]
Why It May Make Sense To Only Deal With Larger Brokerage Firms
by Brian Mahany My “in box” is likely to explode after people see the title of this post. But its true. Although large broker dealers and investment banks can fail (think Lehman Brothers or MF Global), smaller firms tend to fold far more often. An article by Bruce Kelly yesterday in the online edition of […]
LPL Financial Accused of Elder Fraud, Ordered to Pay Over $1mm
Earlier this week we warned about the risks of purchasing complex and exotic derivative securities. We also warned about illiquid real estate investments and how they can be difficult to sell when you need to raise cash. They may be perfect for some folks but are often a bad idea for seniors. Last Friday an […]