The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

CFPB and seven states launch ‘innovation network’ that will approve new risky financial products and protect them from enforcement

Under the Trump administration, the federal agency that’s supposed to protect consumers from Wall Street and financial predators has thought of yet another way to strip consumers of their protections. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or CFPB announced Tuesday that, working with seven state regulators, it launched the American Consumer Financial Innovation Network or ACFIN, a network that it said would "enhance coordination among federal and state regulators to facilitate financial innovation."

The CFPB invited all state regulators to join ACFIN, and the attorneys general of Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah took the offer.

Consumer advocates criticized the CFPB action because it gives banks, fintech companies, and other corporations no-action letters and approvals that will protect companies from enforcement and determine potentially new risky financial products and services to be in compliance with the law.

Broker in pension scam, who settles with CFPB and Arkansas, unable to pay most of repayment to consumers

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or CFPB and the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office filed a proposed settlement Wednesday with a securities broker for allegedly misrepresenting high-interest loans to veterans and other consumers in exchange for future rights to their pensions.

Andrew Gamber and his three companies – Voyager Financial Group, BAIC Inc., and SoBell Corp. – would be banned from the industry if a judge approves the proposed settlement.

The CFPB and the state agency alleged in a lawsuit that Gamber and his companies misrepresented that the contracts were valid when they were actually illegal loans, that the product wasn’t a high-interest loan, and when consumers would receive their funds. They also failed to inform consumers of the interest rate on the loan, according to the lawsuit.

How to plan for retirement

It’s never too early to start saving for retirement. Compound interest will help your savings grow over the years, so the earlier you start saving, the better.

When you’re job hunting, be sure to compare the types of retirement savings plans offered, if any. Most companies no longer offer traditional pensions, which guarantee a monthly income in retirement and place the investment risk on the plan provider. Instead, they provide a match to employee savings in a 401(k), which places the investment risk on individual employees, asking them to choose their own retirement investments with no guaranteed benefits. 

A 401(k) is a tax deferred account, meaning taxes are paid when you withdraw money. If you withdraw money before age 59½, you’ll pay a penalty. You can contribute up to $19,00 a year. You’ll have a specific number of investments to choose from in your employer’s plan.

How to track your spending

Tracking your spending lets you know where your money is actually going. At the end of the month, you’ll know where you are with your finances. That’s what you need to know: how far ahead or behind you are at month’s end.

Most consumers have a good idea about the cost of their fixed monthly expenses – bills that stay the same each month. It’s those expenses that may change from month to month that can be disruptive.

For consumers having a difficult time figuring out where their money goes, there are many ways to track their spending:

How to choose a financial advisor

In these complex financial times, it’s good idea to have a financial advisor on your team. You need to pick out one as carefully as you would a doctor or dentist.

A financial advisor will review your total financial picture and offer advice on how to invest money. The advisor will take into consideration income, goals, objectives, and attitude toward financial risk.

A certified financial planner is a good choice because requirements for certification include training, an exam, and continuing education.

Crowdfunding scheme operator who failed to deliver charged by FTC

The operator of a crowdfunding scheme who told consumers he was raising money to develop a high-tech backpack and other products, but failed to deliver any of the products and instead used most of the funds for himself, is being sued by the Federal Trade Commission.

In its lawsuit, the FTC alleges that Douglas Monahan and his company iBackPack of Texas, raised more than $800,000 from consumers through four crowdfunding campaigns. Monahan falsely claimed the funds would be used to develop products such as the “iBackPack,” which would include batteries for charging laptops and phones, cables, and a Bluetooth speaker.

“If you raise money by crowdfunding, you don’t have to guarantee that your idea will work,” said Andrew Smith, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “But you do have to use the money to work on your idea – or expect to hear from the FTC.”

How to improve your finances during Financial Literacy Month

It’s a good time during April’s Financial Literacy Month to take a look at how you handle your finances.

What is financial literacy? It’s knowing how to manage your personal finances.

How are Americans doing with financial literacy? In a survey of 1,500 people, respondents estimated that lacking knowledge about personal finances cost them an average of $1,230 in 2018, according to a study by the National Financial Educators Council.

What can you do to improve your financial literacy?

Take a look at your finances.

If you don’t have one, you need a budget. It’s a financial plan that will help you reach your goals. To develop a budget, you’ll need to keep track of your spending. Write down what your fixed monthly expenses are such as car payments and rent or mortgage payments. Determine what your periodic expenses are. They include items such as vacations and tax payments. Then you’ll need to track your variable expenses – food, clothing, transportation, and entertainment, costs that probably change every month.

April is Financial Literacy Month

Financial Literacy Month has been recognized in United States in April since 2003. Its purpose is to advance financial literacy through promoting and supporting effectiveness in financial education.

Dozens of organizations offer activities during Financial Literacy Month to call attention to the need for financial literacy and the work they are doing on it.

The Jump$tart Coalition is the original promoter of April as Financial Literacy Month. It’s a coalition of more than 100 organizations from business, finance, academia, education, and government, as well as a network of 51 state organizations, which share a commitment to “financial smarts for students.”

Here are organizations that provide basic financial literacy, according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency:

As Valentine’s Day approaches and throughout the year, watch out for romance scams

Romance scams are different from other scams. Fraudsters prey on lonely people looking to connect with someone, and the scam can often take months to develop to the point where money changes hands. The emotional harm to the victim can be even more painful than the money lost. 

The use of online dating sites and apps has made romance fraud easier. Victims in the United States and Canada report losing nearly $1 billion over the last three years, and the Better Business Bureau estimates there may be more than a million victims in the U.S. Because most people don’t file complaints about romance scams with the BBB or law enforcement, this may a small number of those affected.

The BBB’s study, “Online Romance Scams: How Scammers Use Impersonation, Blackmail, and Trickery to Steal from Unsuspecting Daters,” looks at how romance scams work, who the scammers are, and what’s being done to combat them.

Top 14 consumer stories of 2018

All in all, it’s been another bad year for consumers. President Trump and his administration’s generate so much chaos that they get all the media attention. Meanwhile in the background, federal agencies are moving forward on the administration’s conservative regulatory priorities, which are harmful to consumers. One bright spot is the Democrats taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives. That will help curb President Trump's excesses.

Here are the top 14 consumer stories for 2018:

1. The Trump administration continues decimated consumer protections.

President Trump appointed Mick Mulvaney, his budget director, as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Under Mulvaney's leadership, the bureau reversed prior actions and programs of the agency. It has delayed rules to protect consumers from payday lenders, dropped lawsuits, stripped enforcements of fair-lending protections, and reduced the number of fines issued.