its because you accumulated too much temporary data
Solution: open App Store, you will see five buttons at the bottom
Press "update" ten times , you should see it become blank/refreshed
Now your temp data are clear and you can search again
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Why is World Financial Building / World Financial Group / World Financial Foundation an MLM scam?
(1)
This part is copy pasted from reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/34c6im/world_financial_group_be_careful_of_this_mlm/
This part is copy pasted from reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/34c6im/world_financial_group_be_careful_of_this_mlm/
Background
World Financial Group is an MLM company dealing in financial instruments. The sect I came in contact with typically recruit from the Asian community. There seems to be an interest in recruiting college students and those who have recently become unemployed. After a personal investigation, I feel it appropriate to share my experience with this group. The conclusion being that members may engage in deceptive tactics to sell high-cost financial instruments with evidence that they may suppress information which attempts to expose them.
The group has gone through various name changes (WMA - World Marketing Alliance, WFG - World Financial Group, WLG - World Leadership Group). I recently dated a girl who was involved and what I discovered was a bit scary to say the least. Something was always sort of off about her (why repeatedly attempt to sell me an insurance policy when I work for a fortune 50 company???). She had been in the group for around 5 months, and became more and more obsessed with "the business" as time went on. I knew something was up and did a bit of investigation.
Regarding Income Claims
The group has been described to leverage deception and employ a cult-like environment, very similar to criticisms of Amway. Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but I discovered the branch manager did not own the house he claimed he paid for at a recruiting event / house party via public property and mortgage records. This may be a tactic used to draw members. If one makes themselves seem more well off than they really are by renting expensive cars and homes and they can potentially pass them off as having been earned through "the business". I have received PM's in response to this very post describing situations where the upline leases an expensive car to a new recruit. The recruit is now paying for the upline's vehicle while using the car as a symbol of proof that the business works. These types of incidents are corroborated by reports given in the xwma archives. This is often referred to as "Fake it till you make it" and has been cited as being a motto used within WFG in this thread.
Concerning false income claims, you can take a look at the FINRA disclosure for WMA (The precursor to WFG) by visiting this link and typing in 32625 for the FIRM CRD#. Next, click to view the detailed report. There are plenty of interesting allegations in there including reports of agents selling unregistered securities. The very first disclosure states a violation for "The use of ASL omitting material facts, and the use of ASL containing exaggerations, unwarranted and misleading statements". A screencap of this disclosure is available here.
If you are curious in learning more about complaints regarding WMA (the precursor to WFG) this RIPOFF report contains a vast amount of information. This is important because many of the leaders in WFG were previously aligned with WMA.
It appears to be common for recruits to produce unverifiable claims about making substantial amounts of money in WFG. For example, this individual who makes 250k and retired both of her parents and this guy who makes a million dollars.
Past Infractions with the SEC
There are many, but this one is particularly interesting: The SEC alleges that the five registered representatives, who worked for World Group Securities Inc., paid themselves high commissions on both the subprime mortgages and the securities purchases. The customers generally were of modest means, had little prior investment experience, and had little or no formal education beyond high school. Some of the investors did not speak English fluently or at all.
One of those charged, Guillermo Haro, now has his wife on the WFG stage in 2013 promoting the business opportunity.
Response
When I brought this up to my ex, I got told I was crazy and the person ceased contact. Possibly as an order from the upline and told the entire office was laughing at me. Literal solid proof that this was going on and I am untrusted then discredited to the local office. Okay, sound unbelievable still? You will notice online that negative commentary concerning members of this group are censored. Seriously, note that Google gives you omitted results when inquiring about some of these things.
Investigation of Product
I would not believe it if I hadn't experienced it myself. The company sells a variety of insurance products but it seems like the only thing I was ever pitched, and other reports confirm was the FIUL policy (Indexed Universal Life). I was told that through the FIUL I would be investing and getting life insurance. After examining the details I found that you typically pay out the whole first year to the agent who sold you the policy as commission, and the high maintenance fees plus cost of insurance have a potential to eat up any sort of "savings" the policy was supposed to retain. Take a look at this recount for what you may be pitched. Also look at this post by a fellow Redditor who claims his brother was sold a policy that looks like an IUL of sorts at the age of 24 for a reported cost of $500 / month. My recommendation, let them draw you up a policy, have them print it out, then take it to any reputable firm (specifically a CFP or Certified Financial Planner) to get the full details on what you are being sold. An ex-member informed me that many of these policies are defaulted on after 4 - 5 years resulting in potential surrender fees that leave those who default with nothing. Keep in mind, these are generally hundreds of dollars per month FIUL policies being sold to low income families. Your agent may not always have your best interest and may be misinformed (see below), so it would be wise to validate before making any decision.
According to this article from Money Magazine, up to 15% of cash-value buyers nationwide give up their policies by the second year, and Western Reserve executives say WMA's clients are "in line" with that average. Too bad: Surrendering in the first year means losing most or all of the money that you paid in. Here is another scholarly article that describes how IUL policies may be used and abused with background on how they are able to be sold with minimal licensing. Take note of the scenario described in the section titled "the Ugly", it states "While a poorly designed and poorly disclosed IUL product may perform badly for some policyholders, when it is combined with a premium finance strategy, it can produce truly ugly consequences. Premium finance involves the borrowing of funds from a bank or financial institution to pay premiums." Notice that this recount states "The last "business meeting" I went to, there was a woman giving a presentation on how to convince people to make only minimum mortgage payments, re-leverage their home in some cases, and stick all of the money in whichever one of their partners mutual funds they were pushing at the time." It may also be relevant to take a look at this Forbes article regarding Universal Life Policyholders - Retirement Disaster Looms For Universal Life Policyholders. In addition, the following quote taken from USNews.com may be useful If you are being pitched a whole life or universal life policy from any provider: "Life insurance is a tool, not an investment. With whole life/universal life insurance, you will pay a higher premium with the promise that the company will take those extra dollars and invest them for you. The problem is that this type of insurance is very expensive. The investments don’t grow because the expenses eat up your interest. In 29 years as a financial planner, I’ve yet to see whole life or universal life pay off for any client. Often, people have little to show for such policies other than the money they paid in. Whole life and universal life policies are the reasons why life insurance companies can afford big buildings and Super Bowl ads. The only time these policies make sense if you have an estate-tax problem but this is a subject beyond the scope of this post."
Criticisms of IUL
Here are some more sources. It is my opinion that even though the agents may be licensed, they usually have little if any understanding of the actual products that they are pushing, specifically in the IUL category. If you need a plain and simple explanation on how IULs may be abused, check out any of the resources below:
5 reasons why Clark Howard hates IUL
5 Reasons NOT to buy IUL
IUL a rip-off with a fancy name
Dave Ramsey NEVER recommends cash value life insurance
The returns of IUL are horrible
Lavish agent commissions
2% to 5% range when held for life
Whole Life Insurance returns of only 3 – 4%
Suze Orman on UL
For a clear explanation, Chapter 3 of "Investing for Dummies" in the section "Avoid these supposed tax saving investments"; it states: "Another investment that many salespeople love to pitch is cash value life insurance. Life insurance that combines life insurance protection with an account that has cash value is usually known as universal, whole, or variable life. Life insurance with a cash value is, at best, a mediocre way to invest money and at worst, a terrible mistake, especially if you haven't exhausted contributing money to retirement accounts."
FIUL guarantees that I will not lose my investment because returns employ a 12% ceiling alongside a 1% floor, this means I can never lose money - hypothetical
Ignoring fees, agent commission (typically 90 - 100% first year premiums), and cost of insurance, we can employ a direct analysis comparing a 12% max and 1% min return rate to actual S&P returns. From 1995 to 2014 we see that 10k invested at 12% max and 1% min would yield 45k as compared to if it were invested directly into the S&P, we would see a return of 65k. If we look at 1985 - 2014, we see that 10K would grow to approximately 90k in the IUL and 255k if directly invested in the S&P. Where do you think this difference goes? Hence the commonly given advice from legitimate financial advisers to "buy term and invest the difference". This isn't debatable, these are the actual historical return rates. Note: A 200k term policy can be had for around $21 / mo. How much are you currently paying for coverage?
Do agents pitch IUL policies in light of these facts?
If you believe this response from a self proclaimed WFG agent in this very thread to be authentic: "He could have talked to one of the bad apples out there, and we all know that there are bad apples in every single major business there is, am I right? However, he is right that the agent tried to “pitch” him the FFIUL from Transamerica. That is because it is simply one of the best products out there in our industry with good guarantees that I believed fits his financial needs."
Here is another agent's point of view, /u/toolbocisascam sent me the following rebuttal (grammar retained) via PM: Toolboc, Stop using old information about WFG to try to discredit a great company. Just because you had a bad experience doesn't mean the whole company is bad. Everyone got in trouble when it was WMA. We are owned by Transamerica now and that kind of stuff isn't happening. One of the ladies in our office put her kid through College with a IUL. She saved 43k tax free and pulled it out when she needed it. Insurance companies make money! That is how they stay n business. IT'S A BUSINESS!! If you don't make money you close. To invest directly in the S&P 500 is a great way to loose what you invested. The IUL keeps it safe!!
Do you notice a pattern? How is it that these salesmen come off so certain about an arguably unsuitable product? What is the primary audience? According to WFG literature they claim to stand up as a financial security service for low-income families. Hmmm... It starts to look like there is some enticement with the whole showing off of houses and rented cars then coupled with misinformation regarding financial advice. I wonder if these recruits are encouraged to purchase IUL's themselves? (Every agent I ever asked told me they had one) Is this by design?
Were you pitched an IUL? Do you currently pay into an IUL?
If you make less than 250k / yr and aren't currently facing estate issues, you may want to get a second opinion. Let me guess, you were pitched by someone close to you (friend / family)?
We sell a variety of products though through various insurers, IUL is not all we sell - hypothetical
Were you told to invest in your future even though you have no dependents? Were you sold insurance policies on your children?
Of course these guys are all licensed though, so they know what they are doing better than those who aren't right?
Correct, recruits are usually licensed to sell insurance which has qualifications that vary by state, which does not require an advanced degree.
According to The Bishop Company LLC Report: Under current law, indexed products are state regulated and do not require a securities license to sell. However, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has fought since the 1990s to bring indexed products under federal securities oversight due to numerous consumer complaints and regulatory actions by state attorneys general regarding the products’reliance on the performance of equity indices and comparisons to directly owning equities. Despite the current federal law declaring that indexed products are not securities, the debate continues at the state level as to whether the recommendation to move client funds from securities to indexed products constitutes investment advice. Some states have adopted regulations regarding the recommendation of indexed products as substitutes for securities that can cause agents without securities licenses to lose their state insurance license if violated. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which is the self-regulatory organization that oversees all securities firms and securities licensed professionals, has also expressed concerns over inadequate disclosures of the fees and charges within indexed products. In 2012, FINRA announced that all broker-dealers must create written supervisory procedures to monitor the sales of these products by securities licensed agents. Unfortunately,this rule has no force over agents who are not securities licensed (Most agents are Insurance licensed) and thus, provides no protection to consumers that purchase products illustrated using unrealistic earnings projections. In order to fully appreciate the concerns over indexed products – and more specifically, indexed universal life – it is important to understand what the product is and how it functions.
How can agents ignore facts in the face of evidence?
There appeared to be a cult-like "us-vs-them" attitude in the group I encountered. Members were encouraged to cease contact with those who are against "the business". Within Amway this type of situation is often referred to as an "Amriff". Mention something skeptical about the business and you will be called "negative" and "arrogant". Many of the agents I encountered could be described as fanatical, see examples in many of the responses below. For example, /u/PovertyKiller states :"You died at where we call the killing zone, or sign then die, you kept trying to find faults of the company, and your mind completely consumed it, not willing to change while you were there, feel sorry for you, that you wasted your time. and now even more time looking for uncertain facts to back you up".
Top performers are rewarded with exotic vacations, I know because my recruiter brought me along for one before I was recruited. -hypothetical
Those trips they boast about? They may not be paid for in full by the company. It may be out of your own pocket or an investment by your upline to put you in a conference. An ex-member informed me that after a trip to Tahiti he received a 1099 for $16,000.
Furthermore, we received life-changing advice on the trip that has now convinced me to devote my life to helping families out of poverty with financial services. The best part is that these events don't produce any profit, we just donate to keep them at cost. We also get access to special books that you can't buy anywhere else, of course these are sold at cost for our benefit. No one makes money off of these tools. - hypothetical
Does any of the advice received sound similar to reported advice given to Amway distributors?
Check out this internal training guide, specifically the last page that states "The Four Wheels Needed to Run Your Business". Notice some of the suggestions "Attend BIG EVENTS and BOOT CAMP trainings to learn the A-Z of your business" and "Read books, listen to CDs, attend Seminars to improve your skills".
Events, Boot Camps, Books, CDs, and Seminars. Guess what those are? Those are products... Guess who buys them? People within the organization (i.e. recruits). ... Guess who doesn't buy them? People outside the organization... Do you know what this looks like?
I'm going to stop and state it very clearly... There is nothing wrong with WFG on its own, it is perfectly legal. However, the MLM aspect may allow for a system wherein racketeer influence may abound. The issue is that this money isn't always coming from the product, it also comes from the motivational businesses. These are groups that exist solely to create a dependency on their products/seminars/conferences/tapes to ensure your success in the product front. When you book travel, it goes through an affiliate agency; this completely contradicts choice of airline etc. You will be repeatedly sold "tools" in the form of books, videos, DVDs, seminars (often in the thousands of dollars) etc. to guarantee your success. The product front will typically wrap around a high cost product that is difficult to sell on it's own. While these pay out, it is insignificant compared to the money that is made off of motivation. These "tools" may be encouraged to be purchased with cash, specifically so that the money may go unreported. Now when someone figures this out, the group wants to silence you or simply convince you of false arguments against the parent company i.e. calling it a pyramid scheme. When you mention cult-like effects, it comes from pawning a dream onto someone that is attainable through the product front which perpetuates that success is around the corner if you would just get on board with the tools. It creates an all-consuming misdirected dependency. Consider that each person that you introduce to the product front is now a recruit for the secondary tool business in addition to everything else. These seminars will have you believing that you can sell more, you will see people being rewarded for in fact selling more than others, but they will never have the success until they wake up and realize how they are being taken advantage of and do the same to others. You may be motivated into purchasing office space for expanding your business, which again makes you a recruiter for the secondary tools. Read some of the internal docs I posted, the group trains on recruiting people who have purchased your product. And consider, who these clients are. Anyone fortunate enough to be employed by a legitimate company will typically have insurance offered by the provider. Those people are not in this market, so just exactly who is? This isn't a product needed by most people, but for those who believe in the dream they sell. Now you have all this smoke and mirrors going on validating what you are doing when it may in fact be harmful.
Why would recruitment be heavily emphasized and based on "dream-selling", is it for your benefit or does it serve something else? I mean you guys love to tout that you give everyone a chance and that anyone can try their hand at this exceptional business opportunity. At the end of the day, it's almost as if being a warm body is good enough? Perhaps simply being a warm body is good enough for something... Something that exists within the organization that benefits a select few.
But it's my business! I'm an independent business owner! I am an entrepeneur! - hypothetical
Really? Are you registered as an LLC, S-Corp or other official designation? Do you own your book of business if you leave the company? Can you create advertisements without approval? If you wanted to record a meeting and post it to Youtube, would that be allowed?
Are you sure you aren't actually a contractor who pays for everything that is usually paid for by traditional companies (training, books, travel etc)while being restricted in your ability to perform independently?
Leveraging warm market and personal contacts
They ask you for 25 names when you are recruited, and may call these people using your name and relationship to leverage a recruitment or sale. The entire system being commission based and recruit focused with attention to leveraging the trust of those around you which arguably creates a system wherein racketeer influence may abound. If you found out you were sold an unsuitable policy by your friend or relative, would you turn them in?
Shortly after initial contacting from a recruiter I began receiving multiple calls from similar "business opportunities" for example one for Kangen Water filters. This corroborates reports of MLMs selling off information to other companies as lead generation.
You are negative, why was our company showcased in Forbes magazine idiot!? - hypothetical
Because an advertising space was paid for...
See this rebuttal for an example of someone defending a deceptive MLM, in a Forbes article, completely unaware that the group they were defending was in fact withholding information and making false income claims (The FTC literally shut this group down after appropriate investigation was performed). Your tone and defensiveness sound very similar.
Look, we are backed by a billion dollar company, here is proof - hypothetical
Correct, WFG is backed by Aegon and Transamerica. Amway is also one of the largest companies in the world too with a backing from Alticor, but a quick search can turn up plenty of interesting stories related to their MLM. Keep in mind, while related, it is important to differentiate between a parent company and the motivational groups that may exist within.
If this type of business is so questionable, why doesn't the government shut it down? - hypothetical
See this rebuttal.
Furthermore, why would you expect the FTC to do anything?
In April 2016, a new FTC rule was supposed to protect prospective distributors by requiring companies to provide a one-page disclosure form that includes support for earnings claims, a list of previous legal actions against the firm, and its cancellation or refund policy. But the regulation, which went into effect in April, excludes multilevel marketers. Critics of the $28.5 billion industry—which also includes Avon, Herbalife, and Tupperware—say that’s because of intense lobbying. “The industry raised a firestorm of opposition to a rule that for any legitimate company would not have been too burdensome,” says Douglas Brooks, a Boston franchise attorney who says he has brought 10 class actions against MLM companies over the past 20 years. - Source
On the front line of the lobbying effort to secure an exemption were three lawyers who had previously held high-level positions at the FTC: Timothy Muris and J. Howard Beales, both working on behalf of Primerica Financial Services; and Joan Bernstein, who represents Amway’s North American unit.
Is this a conspiracy?
I have provided facts where applicable along with sources for your convenience. I can only suggest that you think and decide for yourself. Personally, I believe this is the result of intense lobbying which has allowed for questionable business practice to flourish legally which has the potential to take advantage of those misinformed as a result of outright protection from the FTC regarding full disclosure of "income opportunity" statistics.
Are agents trained to respond to objections?
Yes, and here are some of them
Family / Relationship Effects
my mom is into WFG and she goes to all the conferences. how can i get her out? i feel like she has been brainwashed.
My brother is throwing his life away
Boyfriend brainwashed by WFG
Amway addiction kills marriage
Past Exposure of questionable behavior
Fortunately, back when the group was known as WMA, up until around 2006, a group formed to expose the true nature of what goes on in the group on xwma.org (ex-WMA). It was pulled down for unknown reasons, but.... Using the Way Back Machine (an internet archive service), you can see this website as it was when it was still standing in 2006. There are accounts from past WMA and WFG employees that you will likely find shocking if you have spent any time near this group or those involved.
Take a look at the xwma.org snapshot from 2006 and for bonus material have a look at speakout section 1 - 3rd post down and speakout section 3 - Search for "The Power of ONE pissed off BITCH" . These are from the xwma.org site mentioned earlier and is only available due to being archived by the Wayback Machine. One can only speculate why xwma.org is not currently online.
The important thing to notice when going through the information above is the pattern. Again, you get allegations of rented cars, rented homes, cult-like evironment, mention of selling on Variable Universal Life policies (the name of the cash value policy being pushed at the time). It is important to note that these types of allegations are not confined to WFG but are rather common in MLM at large.
Suppression
Why haven't you heard about any of this? Because it may be suppressed. SEO appears to bring up the following. It seems like they don't want you to know is what actually happens when you invest time in the group (which likely varies in different locales), and may be why this information is so hard to find. I read that one person claimed to have lost his life savings to the group and successfully sued but was unable to describe details as part of the settlement agreement. Again, research Amway for similar recounts. For recounts that relate specifically to WFG, I recommend contacting the Zamansky law firm located in New York. They claim a specialty in investigating fraudulent and unsuitable sales of annuities and other insurance and investment products by representatives of World Group Securities, Inc. a/k/a World Financial Group (“World Group”).
Suppression is not uncommon, in fact similar tactics have been employed by the Church of Scientology as described in this recount from an ex-member. An internal message from ex-Amway VP Ken McDonald describes a strategy where it is suggested to "provide very soon, for all those who qualified Emeralds and above who want it their own personal homepage so we will have tons of positive Amway information on the web." along with "we’ve moved the positive Amway sites quite a bit up in the web search engines, and some of the negative sites down". In addition, Amway has been cited as enforcing tactics to suppress online information, going so far as to make claim that unfavorable comments actually come from rival Proctor and Gamble. See if you can notice a similarity when this WFG proponent makes the following statement in this very thread: "I'm a little disappointed that no one who is part of the business has given a real reply to this, except for the guy spazzing in caps which I'm not even convinced isn't a planted shill to make WFG look bad. I'm sure there are some legitimate concerns, but competing companies have been known to masquerade as unbiased reviewers to discredit the company. I'm looking at you, Primerica." Primerica may be seen as a rival / scapegoat to WFG as they are a similar MLM but tend to focus on selling Term life insurance policies and investing the difference. Upon initial posting of information against WFG, I experienced the following. Outside of these examples, you may find interesting modifications in the edit history on the Wikipedia Page for WFG.
Personal Attacks
As further evidence of suppression, my first post to /r/jobs was deleted due to the arrival of shills on my original post. Admin, /u/appropriate-username has recognized this as a misunderstanding and given permission to repost. I think people should be aware of this. It's pretty weird to say the least. I've been harassed multiple times since posting this content. It's apparent that something about this content bothers a few individuals enough to create new accounts and attempt to discredit me with offensive remarks. I think people should know about this. In fact, I was recently assaulted while on a machine at my local gym and told to "watch my back" as the assailant fled (this may or may not be related to these events as I was not able to catch the assailant, but is worth mentioning).
Commentary on MLM
For anyone reading this thread looking to understand the bigger picture see this rebuttal, I suggest expanding the deleted comments as there are some interesting rebuttals and examples of the fanatical support from those involved. For the record, WFG is not a pyramid scheme, no matter how close it may resemble , it is not. However, the MLM structure may facilitate groups wherein racketeer influence may abound. This has been cited in various MLMs and may explain the scenario of the aforementioned CEO MD. You won't find books on this particular organization but you can find applicable information by researching MLMs in general. It is my suggestion that you can gain applicable clarity around the vagueness of the business as it is usually presented by comparing to Amway. Amway is considered the original MLM and this group falls within the classification of MLM by their own definition. Two of the more recent and telling books on Amway include Eric Sheibeler's Free e-book "Merchants of Deception" and Ruth Carter's "Amway Motivational Organizations: Behind the Smoke and Mirrors". These books can help grasp the wider mechanism of characteristics found in MLMs (specifically what are often referred to as "motivational organizations") including false income claims, deceptive recruiting tactics, information control, groupthink effects, potential financial ruin, and how the trips / conventions work. Within the first 20 pages of either of these books, you should begin to see many similarities and the light bulb will go on. There is no simple one-sentence explanation as MLM operates on a variety of levels that requires a decent bit of reading to understand. Ultimately, it is your decision to perform due diligence before pledging involvement. If you are considering involvement in any MLM under the pretense that such opportunities are highly profitable, I would recommend taking a look at THE CASE (FOR AND) AGAINST MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING: The Complete Guide to Understanding the Flaws – and Proving and Countering the Effects – of Endless Chain “Opportunity” Recruitment, or Product-based Pyramid Schemes, specifically Chapter 7: MLM’s ABYSMAL NUMBERS, which discloses an analysis of multiple MLM opportunities (WFG being mentioned). The conclusion being that regardless of product, MLM opportunities consistently favor and pay out those at the top with approximately 99% of participants losing money.
(2) OK That's enough background information
Here's some of my personal experience based on their Workshop :
They made use of some(not all) Christian(no offensive) meeting's strategy, i.e. everyone in their team is well bonded by "care" they take of each other, which blinds them especially those who had been long unemployed/lack of love etc. Then they presented their bonding and happiness to persuade the audience (instead of logic). What's more, they asked the audience to positively respond to every single statement they say and asked them to repeat. For a lot of mainland Chinese people who didn't have good logical training, they would tend to block their own critical thinking and blindly followed.
The group also passed on the idea that people deserve more freedom at work, more flexibility, more money for the family, a lot of travels/conventions and be your own boss.
In their team they had a lot of college students, who couldn't find a job in the field of their studied majors.
Their slogan was "First we train the trainer, and then we build the builder"
The system workflow is
1. become an MD trainee
2. Form an MD club (you recruit 3 trainees as associates)
3. Then you become an MD marketing director and have to build 3 MD clug legs
4. MD factory
So basically you have to make sure you multiply the team and spread the virus by 9 times .
(3) Apparently they don't have high Yelp Scores
https://www.yelp.com/biz/world-financial-group-west-covina-2
(4) The core team members can be found here:
http://www.wsbitaly2017.com/ceo.html
Only the key members were there and young team members can't find anywhere online, indicating a high turnover rate.
World Financial Group is an MLM company dealing in financial instruments. The sect I came in contact with typically recruit from the Asian community. There seems to be an interest in recruiting college students and those who have recently become unemployed. After a personal investigation, I feel it appropriate to share my experience with this group. The conclusion being that members may engage in deceptive tactics to sell high-cost financial instruments with evidence that they may suppress information which attempts to expose them.
The group has gone through various name changes (WMA - World Marketing Alliance, WFG - World Financial Group, WLG - World Leadership Group). I recently dated a girl who was involved and what I discovered was a bit scary to say the least. Something was always sort of off about her (why repeatedly attempt to sell me an insurance policy when I work for a fortune 50 company???). She had been in the group for around 5 months, and became more and more obsessed with "the business" as time went on. I knew something was up and did a bit of investigation.
Regarding Income Claims
The group has been described to leverage deception and employ a cult-like environment, very similar to criticisms of Amway. Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but I discovered the branch manager did not own the house he claimed he paid for at a recruiting event / house party via public property and mortgage records. This may be a tactic used to draw members. If one makes themselves seem more well off than they really are by renting expensive cars and homes and they can potentially pass them off as having been earned through "the business". I have received PM's in response to this very post describing situations where the upline leases an expensive car to a new recruit. The recruit is now paying for the upline's vehicle while using the car as a symbol of proof that the business works. These types of incidents are corroborated by reports given in the xwma archives. This is often referred to as "Fake it till you make it" and has been cited as being a motto used within WFG in this thread.
- (Update 6/5/2015) : Regarding the homeowner, I found the 17 year WFG CEO MD level individual holds a $334,000 IRS lien from 2008. That is enough to place in the top 200 list of delinquent taxpayers in the state of California. All of this information was obtained via public records. I strongly urge that if something does not feel right to ask the right questions. It likely this home is in another name to avoid seizure by the IRS. The individual claimed he lost a significant amount of money due to gambling. Eric Scheibeler wrote an expose on Amway in 2008 titled "Merchants of Deception" which can be downloaded here. Page 162 gives a description of high ranking Amway members who are actually in financial turmoil, and you will notice various references to IRS liens and the aforementioned gambling excuse. Scheibeler claims that anyone who is truly making massive money in Amway is doing so through the motivational tools and seminars, and describes individuals as being so wrapped up in motivational effects that they will continue pursuit of "the business" even while making themselves broke in the process. I would highly recommend anyone considering involvement with this group read this text as due diligence, ultimately it is your decision. Keep in mind, I only went to one company event outside of sales pitches, and at that single event, after investigating the supposed owner, all of this turned up.
Concerning false income claims, you can take a look at the FINRA disclosure for WMA (The precursor to WFG) by visiting this link and typing in 32625 for the FIRM CRD#. Next, click to view the detailed report. There are plenty of interesting allegations in there including reports of agents selling unregistered securities. The very first disclosure states a violation for "The use of ASL omitting material facts, and the use of ASL containing exaggerations, unwarranted and misleading statements". A screencap of this disclosure is available here.
If you are curious in learning more about complaints regarding WMA (the precursor to WFG) this RIPOFF report contains a vast amount of information. This is important because many of the leaders in WFG were previously aligned with WMA.
It appears to be common for recruits to produce unverifiable claims about making substantial amounts of money in WFG. For example, this individual who makes 250k and retired both of her parents and this guy who makes a million dollars.
Past Infractions with the SEC
There are many, but this one is particularly interesting: The SEC alleges that the five registered representatives, who worked for World Group Securities Inc., paid themselves high commissions on both the subprime mortgages and the securities purchases. The customers generally were of modest means, had little prior investment experience, and had little or no formal education beyond high school. Some of the investors did not speak English fluently or at all.
One of those charged, Guillermo Haro, now has his wife on the WFG stage in 2013 promoting the business opportunity.
Response
When I brought this up to my ex, I got told I was crazy and the person ceased contact. Possibly as an order from the upline and told the entire office was laughing at me. Literal solid proof that this was going on and I am untrusted then discredited to the local office. Okay, sound unbelievable still? You will notice online that negative commentary concerning members of this group are censored. Seriously, note that Google gives you omitted results when inquiring about some of these things.
Investigation of Product
I would not believe it if I hadn't experienced it myself. The company sells a variety of insurance products but it seems like the only thing I was ever pitched, and other reports confirm was the FIUL policy (Indexed Universal Life). I was told that through the FIUL I would be investing and getting life insurance. After examining the details I found that you typically pay out the whole first year to the agent who sold you the policy as commission, and the high maintenance fees plus cost of insurance have a potential to eat up any sort of "savings" the policy was supposed to retain. Take a look at this recount for what you may be pitched. Also look at this post by a fellow Redditor who claims his brother was sold a policy that looks like an IUL of sorts at the age of 24 for a reported cost of $500 / month. My recommendation, let them draw you up a policy, have them print it out, then take it to any reputable firm (specifically a CFP or Certified Financial Planner) to get the full details on what you are being sold. An ex-member informed me that many of these policies are defaulted on after 4 - 5 years resulting in potential surrender fees that leave those who default with nothing. Keep in mind, these are generally hundreds of dollars per month FIUL policies being sold to low income families. Your agent may not always have your best interest and may be misinformed (see below), so it would be wise to validate before making any decision.
According to this article from Money Magazine, up to 15% of cash-value buyers nationwide give up their policies by the second year, and Western Reserve executives say WMA's clients are "in line" with that average. Too bad: Surrendering in the first year means losing most or all of the money that you paid in. Here is another scholarly article that describes how IUL policies may be used and abused with background on how they are able to be sold with minimal licensing. Take note of the scenario described in the section titled "the Ugly", it states "While a poorly designed and poorly disclosed IUL product may perform badly for some policyholders, when it is combined with a premium finance strategy, it can produce truly ugly consequences. Premium finance involves the borrowing of funds from a bank or financial institution to pay premiums." Notice that this recount states "The last "business meeting" I went to, there was a woman giving a presentation on how to convince people to make only minimum mortgage payments, re-leverage their home in some cases, and stick all of the money in whichever one of their partners mutual funds they were pushing at the time." It may also be relevant to take a look at this Forbes article regarding Universal Life Policyholders - Retirement Disaster Looms For Universal Life Policyholders. In addition, the following quote taken from USNews.com may be useful If you are being pitched a whole life or universal life policy from any provider: "Life insurance is a tool, not an investment. With whole life/universal life insurance, you will pay a higher premium with the promise that the company will take those extra dollars and invest them for you. The problem is that this type of insurance is very expensive. The investments don’t grow because the expenses eat up your interest. In 29 years as a financial planner, I’ve yet to see whole life or universal life pay off for any client. Often, people have little to show for such policies other than the money they paid in. Whole life and universal life policies are the reasons why life insurance companies can afford big buildings and Super Bowl ads. The only time these policies make sense if you have an estate-tax problem but this is a subject beyond the scope of this post."
Criticisms of IUL
Here are some more sources. It is my opinion that even though the agents may be licensed, they usually have little if any understanding of the actual products that they are pushing, specifically in the IUL category. If you need a plain and simple explanation on how IULs may be abused, check out any of the resources below:
5 reasons why Clark Howard hates IUL
5 Reasons NOT to buy IUL
IUL a rip-off with a fancy name
Dave Ramsey NEVER recommends cash value life insurance
The returns of IUL are horrible
Lavish agent commissions
2% to 5% range when held for life
Whole Life Insurance returns of only 3 – 4%
Suze Orman on UL
For a clear explanation, Chapter 3 of "Investing for Dummies" in the section "Avoid these supposed tax saving investments"; it states: "Another investment that many salespeople love to pitch is cash value life insurance. Life insurance that combines life insurance protection with an account that has cash value is usually known as universal, whole, or variable life. Life insurance with a cash value is, at best, a mediocre way to invest money and at worst, a terrible mistake, especially if you haven't exhausted contributing money to retirement accounts."
FIUL guarantees that I will not lose my investment because returns employ a 12% ceiling alongside a 1% floor, this means I can never lose money - hypothetical
Ignoring fees, agent commission (typically 90 - 100% first year premiums), and cost of insurance, we can employ a direct analysis comparing a 12% max and 1% min return rate to actual S&P returns. From 1995 to 2014 we see that 10k invested at 12% max and 1% min would yield 45k as compared to if it were invested directly into the S&P, we would see a return of 65k. If we look at 1985 - 2014, we see that 10K would grow to approximately 90k in the IUL and 255k if directly invested in the S&P. Where do you think this difference goes? Hence the commonly given advice from legitimate financial advisers to "buy term and invest the difference". This isn't debatable, these are the actual historical return rates. Note: A 200k term policy can be had for around $21 / mo. How much are you currently paying for coverage?
Do agents pitch IUL policies in light of these facts?
If you believe this response from a self proclaimed WFG agent in this very thread to be authentic: "He could have talked to one of the bad apples out there, and we all know that there are bad apples in every single major business there is, am I right? However, he is right that the agent tried to “pitch” him the FFIUL from Transamerica. That is because it is simply one of the best products out there in our industry with good guarantees that I believed fits his financial needs."
Here is another agent's point of view, /u/toolbocisascam sent me the following rebuttal (grammar retained) via PM: Toolboc, Stop using old information about WFG to try to discredit a great company. Just because you had a bad experience doesn't mean the whole company is bad. Everyone got in trouble when it was WMA. We are owned by Transamerica now and that kind of stuff isn't happening. One of the ladies in our office put her kid through College with a IUL. She saved 43k tax free and pulled it out when she needed it. Insurance companies make money! That is how they stay n business. IT'S A BUSINESS!! If you don't make money you close. To invest directly in the S&P 500 is a great way to loose what you invested. The IUL keeps it safe!!
Do you notice a pattern? How is it that these salesmen come off so certain about an arguably unsuitable product? What is the primary audience? According to WFG literature they claim to stand up as a financial security service for low-income families. Hmmm... It starts to look like there is some enticement with the whole showing off of houses and rented cars then coupled with misinformation regarding financial advice. I wonder if these recruits are encouraged to purchase IUL's themselves? (Every agent I ever asked told me they had one) Is this by design?
Were you pitched an IUL? Do you currently pay into an IUL?
If you make less than 250k / yr and aren't currently facing estate issues, you may want to get a second opinion. Let me guess, you were pitched by someone close to you (friend / family)?
We sell a variety of products though through various insurers, IUL is not all we sell - hypothetical
Were you told to invest in your future even though you have no dependents? Were you sold insurance policies on your children?
Of course these guys are all licensed though, so they know what they are doing better than those who aren't right?
Correct, recruits are usually licensed to sell insurance which has qualifications that vary by state, which does not require an advanced degree.
According to The Bishop Company LLC Report: Under current law, indexed products are state regulated and do not require a securities license to sell. However, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has fought since the 1990s to bring indexed products under federal securities oversight due to numerous consumer complaints and regulatory actions by state attorneys general regarding the products’reliance on the performance of equity indices and comparisons to directly owning equities. Despite the current federal law declaring that indexed products are not securities, the debate continues at the state level as to whether the recommendation to move client funds from securities to indexed products constitutes investment advice. Some states have adopted regulations regarding the recommendation of indexed products as substitutes for securities that can cause agents without securities licenses to lose their state insurance license if violated. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which is the self-regulatory organization that oversees all securities firms and securities licensed professionals, has also expressed concerns over inadequate disclosures of the fees and charges within indexed products. In 2012, FINRA announced that all broker-dealers must create written supervisory procedures to monitor the sales of these products by securities licensed agents. Unfortunately,this rule has no force over agents who are not securities licensed (Most agents are Insurance licensed) and thus, provides no protection to consumers that purchase products illustrated using unrealistic earnings projections. In order to fully appreciate the concerns over indexed products – and more specifically, indexed universal life – it is important to understand what the product is and how it functions.
How can agents ignore facts in the face of evidence?
There appeared to be a cult-like "us-vs-them" attitude in the group I encountered. Members were encouraged to cease contact with those who are against "the business". Within Amway this type of situation is often referred to as an "Amriff". Mention something skeptical about the business and you will be called "negative" and "arrogant". Many of the agents I encountered could be described as fanatical, see examples in many of the responses below. For example, /u/PovertyKiller states :"You died at where we call the killing zone, or sign then die, you kept trying to find faults of the company, and your mind completely consumed it, not willing to change while you were there, feel sorry for you, that you wasted your time. and now even more time looking for uncertain facts to back you up".
Top performers are rewarded with exotic vacations, I know because my recruiter brought me along for one before I was recruited. -hypothetical
Those trips they boast about? They may not be paid for in full by the company. It may be out of your own pocket or an investment by your upline to put you in a conference. An ex-member informed me that after a trip to Tahiti he received a 1099 for $16,000.
Furthermore, we received life-changing advice on the trip that has now convinced me to devote my life to helping families out of poverty with financial services. The best part is that these events don't produce any profit, we just donate to keep them at cost. We also get access to special books that you can't buy anywhere else, of course these are sold at cost for our benefit. No one makes money off of these tools. - hypothetical
Does any of the advice received sound similar to reported advice given to Amway distributors?
Check out this internal training guide, specifically the last page that states "The Four Wheels Needed to Run Your Business". Notice some of the suggestions "Attend BIG EVENTS and BOOT CAMP trainings to learn the A-Z of your business" and "Read books, listen to CDs, attend Seminars to improve your skills".
Events, Boot Camps, Books, CDs, and Seminars. Guess what those are? Those are products... Guess who buys them? People within the organization (i.e. recruits). ... Guess who doesn't buy them? People outside the organization... Do you know what this looks like?
I'm going to stop and state it very clearly... There is nothing wrong with WFG on its own, it is perfectly legal. However, the MLM aspect may allow for a system wherein racketeer influence may abound. The issue is that this money isn't always coming from the product, it also comes from the motivational businesses. These are groups that exist solely to create a dependency on their products/seminars/conferences/tapes to ensure your success in the product front. When you book travel, it goes through an affiliate agency; this completely contradicts choice of airline etc. You will be repeatedly sold "tools" in the form of books, videos, DVDs, seminars (often in the thousands of dollars) etc. to guarantee your success. The product front will typically wrap around a high cost product that is difficult to sell on it's own. While these pay out, it is insignificant compared to the money that is made off of motivation. These "tools" may be encouraged to be purchased with cash, specifically so that the money may go unreported. Now when someone figures this out, the group wants to silence you or simply convince you of false arguments against the parent company i.e. calling it a pyramid scheme. When you mention cult-like effects, it comes from pawning a dream onto someone that is attainable through the product front which perpetuates that success is around the corner if you would just get on board with the tools. It creates an all-consuming misdirected dependency. Consider that each person that you introduce to the product front is now a recruit for the secondary tool business in addition to everything else. These seminars will have you believing that you can sell more, you will see people being rewarded for in fact selling more than others, but they will never have the success until they wake up and realize how they are being taken advantage of and do the same to others. You may be motivated into purchasing office space for expanding your business, which again makes you a recruiter for the secondary tools. Read some of the internal docs I posted, the group trains on recruiting people who have purchased your product. And consider, who these clients are. Anyone fortunate enough to be employed by a legitimate company will typically have insurance offered by the provider. Those people are not in this market, so just exactly who is? This isn't a product needed by most people, but for those who believe in the dream they sell. Now you have all this smoke and mirrors going on validating what you are doing when it may in fact be harmful.
Why would recruitment be heavily emphasized and based on "dream-selling", is it for your benefit or does it serve something else? I mean you guys love to tout that you give everyone a chance and that anyone can try their hand at this exceptional business opportunity. At the end of the day, it's almost as if being a warm body is good enough? Perhaps simply being a warm body is good enough for something... Something that exists within the organization that benefits a select few.
But it's my business! I'm an independent business owner! I am an entrepeneur! - hypothetical
Really? Are you registered as an LLC, S-Corp or other official designation? Do you own your book of business if you leave the company? Can you create advertisements without approval? If you wanted to record a meeting and post it to Youtube, would that be allowed?
Are you sure you aren't actually a contractor who pays for everything that is usually paid for by traditional companies (training, books, travel etc)while being restricted in your ability to perform independently?
Leveraging warm market and personal contacts
They ask you for 25 names when you are recruited, and may call these people using your name and relationship to leverage a recruitment or sale. The entire system being commission based and recruit focused with attention to leveraging the trust of those around you which arguably creates a system wherein racketeer influence may abound. If you found out you were sold an unsuitable policy by your friend or relative, would you turn them in?
Shortly after initial contacting from a recruiter I began receiving multiple calls from similar "business opportunities" for example one for Kangen Water filters. This corroborates reports of MLMs selling off information to other companies as lead generation.
You are negative, why was our company showcased in Forbes magazine idiot!? - hypothetical
Because an advertising space was paid for...
See this rebuttal for an example of someone defending a deceptive MLM, in a Forbes article, completely unaware that the group they were defending was in fact withholding information and making false income claims (The FTC literally shut this group down after appropriate investigation was performed). Your tone and defensiveness sound very similar.
Look, we are backed by a billion dollar company, here is proof - hypothetical
Correct, WFG is backed by Aegon and Transamerica. Amway is also one of the largest companies in the world too with a backing from Alticor, but a quick search can turn up plenty of interesting stories related to their MLM. Keep in mind, while related, it is important to differentiate between a parent company and the motivational groups that may exist within.
If this type of business is so questionable, why doesn't the government shut it down? - hypothetical
See this rebuttal.
Furthermore, why would you expect the FTC to do anything?
In April 2016, a new FTC rule was supposed to protect prospective distributors by requiring companies to provide a one-page disclosure form that includes support for earnings claims, a list of previous legal actions against the firm, and its cancellation or refund policy. But the regulation, which went into effect in April, excludes multilevel marketers. Critics of the $28.5 billion industry—which also includes Avon, Herbalife, and Tupperware—say that’s because of intense lobbying. “The industry raised a firestorm of opposition to a rule that for any legitimate company would not have been too burdensome,” says Douglas Brooks, a Boston franchise attorney who says he has brought 10 class actions against MLM companies over the past 20 years. - Source
On the front line of the lobbying effort to secure an exemption were three lawyers who had previously held high-level positions at the FTC: Timothy Muris and J. Howard Beales, both working on behalf of Primerica Financial Services; and Joan Bernstein, who represents Amway’s North American unit.
Is this a conspiracy?
I have provided facts where applicable along with sources for your convenience. I can only suggest that you think and decide for yourself. Personally, I believe this is the result of intense lobbying which has allowed for questionable business practice to flourish legally which has the potential to take advantage of those misinformed as a result of outright protection from the FTC regarding full disclosure of "income opportunity" statistics.
Are agents trained to respond to objections?
Yes, and here are some of them
Family / Relationship Effects
my mom is into WFG and she goes to all the conferences. how can i get her out? i feel like she has been brainwashed.
My brother is throwing his life away
Boyfriend brainwashed by WFG
Amway addiction kills marriage
Past Exposure of questionable behavior
Fortunately, back when the group was known as WMA, up until around 2006, a group formed to expose the true nature of what goes on in the group on xwma.org (ex-WMA). It was pulled down for unknown reasons, but.... Using the Way Back Machine (an internet archive service), you can see this website as it was when it was still standing in 2006. There are accounts from past WMA and WFG employees that you will likely find shocking if you have spent any time near this group or those involved.
Take a look at the xwma.org snapshot from 2006 and for bonus material have a look at speakout section 1 - 3rd post down and speakout section 3 - Search for "The Power of ONE pissed off BITCH" . These are from the xwma.org site mentioned earlier and is only available due to being archived by the Wayback Machine. One can only speculate why xwma.org is not currently online.
The important thing to notice when going through the information above is the pattern. Again, you get allegations of rented cars, rented homes, cult-like evironment, mention of selling on Variable Universal Life policies (the name of the cash value policy being pushed at the time). It is important to note that these types of allegations are not confined to WFG but are rather common in MLM at large.
Suppression
Why haven't you heard about any of this? Because it may be suppressed. SEO appears to bring up the following. It seems like they don't want you to know is what actually happens when you invest time in the group (which likely varies in different locales), and may be why this information is so hard to find. I read that one person claimed to have lost his life savings to the group and successfully sued but was unable to describe details as part of the settlement agreement. Again, research Amway for similar recounts. For recounts that relate specifically to WFG, I recommend contacting the Zamansky law firm located in New York. They claim a specialty in investigating fraudulent and unsuitable sales of annuities and other insurance and investment products by representatives of World Group Securities, Inc. a/k/a World Financial Group (“World Group”).
Suppression is not uncommon, in fact similar tactics have been employed by the Church of Scientology as described in this recount from an ex-member. An internal message from ex-Amway VP Ken McDonald describes a strategy where it is suggested to "provide very soon, for all those who qualified Emeralds and above who want it their own personal homepage so we will have tons of positive Amway information on the web." along with "we’ve moved the positive Amway sites quite a bit up in the web search engines, and some of the negative sites down". In addition, Amway has been cited as enforcing tactics to suppress online information, going so far as to make claim that unfavorable comments actually come from rival Proctor and Gamble. See if you can notice a similarity when this WFG proponent makes the following statement in this very thread: "I'm a little disappointed that no one who is part of the business has given a real reply to this, except for the guy spazzing in caps which I'm not even convinced isn't a planted shill to make WFG look bad. I'm sure there are some legitimate concerns, but competing companies have been known to masquerade as unbiased reviewers to discredit the company. I'm looking at you, Primerica." Primerica may be seen as a rival / scapegoat to WFG as they are a similar MLM but tend to focus on selling Term life insurance policies and investing the difference. Upon initial posting of information against WFG, I experienced the following. Outside of these examples, you may find interesting modifications in the edit history on the Wikipedia Page for WFG.
Personal Attacks
As further evidence of suppression, my first post to /r/jobs was deleted due to the arrival of shills on my original post. Admin, /u/appropriate-username has recognized this as a misunderstanding and given permission to repost. I think people should be aware of this. It's pretty weird to say the least. I've been harassed multiple times since posting this content. It's apparent that something about this content bothers a few individuals enough to create new accounts and attempt to discredit me with offensive remarks. I think people should know about this. In fact, I was recently assaulted while on a machine at my local gym and told to "watch my back" as the assailant fled (this may or may not be related to these events as I was not able to catch the assailant, but is worth mentioning).
Commentary on MLM
For anyone reading this thread looking to understand the bigger picture see this rebuttal, I suggest expanding the deleted comments as there are some interesting rebuttals and examples of the fanatical support from those involved. For the record, WFG is not a pyramid scheme, no matter how close it may resemble , it is not. However, the MLM structure may facilitate groups wherein racketeer influence may abound. This has been cited in various MLMs and may explain the scenario of the aforementioned CEO MD. You won't find books on this particular organization but you can find applicable information by researching MLMs in general. It is my suggestion that you can gain applicable clarity around the vagueness of the business as it is usually presented by comparing to Amway. Amway is considered the original MLM and this group falls within the classification of MLM by their own definition. Two of the more recent and telling books on Amway include Eric Sheibeler's Free e-book "Merchants of Deception" and Ruth Carter's "Amway Motivational Organizations: Behind the Smoke and Mirrors". These books can help grasp the wider mechanism of characteristics found in MLMs (specifically what are often referred to as "motivational organizations") including false income claims, deceptive recruiting tactics, information control, groupthink effects, potential financial ruin, and how the trips / conventions work. Within the first 20 pages of either of these books, you should begin to see many similarities and the light bulb will go on. There is no simple one-sentence explanation as MLM operates on a variety of levels that requires a decent bit of reading to understand. Ultimately, it is your decision to perform due diligence before pledging involvement. If you are considering involvement in any MLM under the pretense that such opportunities are highly profitable, I would recommend taking a look at THE CASE (FOR AND) AGAINST MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING: The Complete Guide to Understanding the Flaws – and Proving and Countering the Effects – of Endless Chain “Opportunity” Recruitment, or Product-based Pyramid Schemes, specifically Chapter 7: MLM’s ABYSMAL NUMBERS, which discloses an analysis of multiple MLM opportunities (WFG being mentioned). The conclusion being that regardless of product, MLM opportunities consistently favor and pay out those at the top with approximately 99% of participants losing money.
(2) OK That's enough background information
Here's some of my personal experience based on their Workshop :
They made use of some(not all) Christian(no offensive) meeting's strategy, i.e. everyone in their team is well bonded by "care" they take of each other, which blinds them especially those who had been long unemployed/lack of love etc. Then they presented their bonding and happiness to persuade the audience (instead of logic). What's more, they asked the audience to positively respond to every single statement they say and asked them to repeat. For a lot of mainland Chinese people who didn't have good logical training, they would tend to block their own critical thinking and blindly followed.
The group also passed on the idea that people deserve more freedom at work, more flexibility, more money for the family, a lot of travels/conventions and be your own boss.
In their team they had a lot of college students, who couldn't find a job in the field of their studied majors.
Their slogan was "First we train the trainer, and then we build the builder"
The system workflow is
1. become an MD trainee
2. Form an MD club (you recruit 3 trainees as associates)
3. Then you become an MD marketing director and have to build 3 MD clug legs
4. MD factory
So basically you have to make sure you multiply the team and spread the virus by 9 times .
(3) Apparently they don't have high Yelp Scores
https://www.yelp.com/biz/world-financial-group-west-covina-2
(4) The core team members can be found here:
http://www.wsbitaly2017.com/ceo.html
Only the key members were there and young team members can't find anywhere online, indicating a high turnover rate.
Friday, February 24, 2017
New phishing email from My AdpPortal
The Human Resources/Payroll Department has completed the final pay-stub changes for 2017 tax year.
To view the changes to your pay-stub information and view/download your W-2 forms (2014 - 2016 tax years), go to: Adp Portal
or click the below link
https://adpportalupdate1.
We hope you find the changes to your pay-stub information useful and welcome any comments you may have.
Yours Sincerely.
ADP PORTAL TEAM
Monday, February 20, 2017
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
vignette
Definition of vignette
- 1: a running ornament (as of vine leaves, tendrils, and grapes) put on or just before a title page or at the beginning or end of a chapter; also : a small decorative design or picture so placed
- 2a : a picture (as an engraving or photograph) that shades off gradually into the surrounding paperb : the pictorial part of a postage stamp design as distinguished from the frame and lettering
- 3a : a short descriptive literary sketchb : a brief incident or scene (as in a play or movie)
for google search: Vanyet Vinyet
Sunday, February 12, 2017
How to convert pdf to an image
While there are some only conversion tools like Zamzar, the best way is to use Acrobat Adobe
Open the pdf -> File -> Save as -> Image -> choose the format you want
Open the pdf -> File -> Save as -> Image -> choose the format you want
Saturday, February 11, 2017
How to install Spotify on linux : Install -> Add Shortcut
This is a summary of all you have to do
1. Install :
ref: https://www.spotify.com/us/download/linux/
2. Add shortcut:
1. Install :
ref: https://www.spotify.com/us/download/linux/
# 1. Add the Spotify repository signing key to be able to verify downloaded packages sudo apt-key adv --keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 --recv-keys BBEBDCB318AD50EC6865090613B00F1FD2C19886 # 2. Add the Spotify repository echo deb http://repository.spotify.com stable non-free | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/spotify.list # 3. Update list of available packages sudo apt-get update # 4. Install Spotify sudo apt-get install spotify-client
2. Add shortcut:
sudo gedit /usr/share/applications/spotify.desktop
then replace the content with the following:
[Desktop Entry] Name=Spotify GenericName=Music Player Comment=Spotify streaming music client Icon=spotify-client Exec=spotify %U TryExec=spotify Terminal=false Type=Application Categories=Audio;Music;Player;AudioVideo; MimeType=x-scheme-handler/spotify Actions=PlayOrPause;Stop;Next;Previous [Desktop Action PlayOrPause] Name=Play or Pause Exec=dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.PlayPause OnlyShowIn=Unity; [Desktop Action Stop] Name=Stop Exec=dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Stop OnlyShowIn=Unity; [Desktop Action Next] Name=Next Exec=dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Next OnlyShowIn=Unity; [Desktop Action Previous] Name=Previous Exec=dbus-send --print-reply --dest=org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.spotify /org/mpris/MediaPlayer2 org.mpris.MediaPlayer2.Player.Previous OnlyShowIn=Unity;
Thursday, February 9, 2017
How to do searching under linux terminal more command
After typing more, type a /hello to search for the word "hello"
[solved]How to use USB speaker on a macbook / mac doesn't use external USB speaker
Take D501 as an example
1. Connect the external speaker to Mac
2. If there is a switch, switch the speaker to mp3 mode
3. On the Macbook, click the gear icon (System Preferences) , then Sound
4. Output tab -> Select USB rather than Built-in
5. Make sure the "Mute" box is unchecked
1. Connect the external speaker to Mac
2. If there is a switch, switch the speaker to mp3 mode
3. On the Macbook, click the gear icon (System Preferences) , then Sound
4. Output tab -> Select USB rather than Built-in
5. Make sure the "Mute" box is unchecked
awk set delimiter
awk -F: '{print $1}'
reference: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2609552/how-to-use-as-awk-field-separator/36211753#36211753Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Pasadena Court Phone Call Map
2137421928 for LA court
Press 1 for English
Press 5 for Pasadena Court
1 Pasadena PD
3 Alhambra
5 LA county Sheriff
6 San Gabriel PD
Press 1 for English
Press 5 for Pasadena Court
1 Pasadena PD
3 Alhambra
5 LA county Sheriff
6 San Gabriel PD
Saturday, February 4, 2017
[Solved]Matlab fails to create directory under /usr/local during installation
because you did ./install
correct: sudo ./install
correct: sudo ./install
how do install Matlab on Linux
extract the files from the .tar ball
run the install file by typing
sudo [PATH TO THE INSTALL FILE]/install
Then open ubuntu software, type Matlab in the search box
Click install and then click launch
run the install file by typing
sudo [PATH TO THE INSTALL FILE]/install
Then open ubuntu software, type Matlab in the search box
Click install and then click launch
how to revert from ctrl + alt + F1 on linux
ctrl+alt+F7
read more:
askubuntu.com/questions/157617/reverting-from-ctrl-alt-f1
read more:
askubuntu.com/questions/157617/reverting-from-ctrl-alt-f1
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