January 27, 2013

The Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry



New York journalist Helaine Olen’s new book (published January 2013), Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry has garnered praise – from The Economist, The New York Times, and others – and criticism from the industry.
According to Olen, "I don’t have anything against all financial advisers, but a lot of people are selling themselves as experts in things they are not expert in. I believe that their commissions are almost inherently conflicted. I also believe that the minute you start selling things as, “I can protect you.  I can do better than…,” you’re getting into dangerous territory, because it’s simply not true.” read the interview at http://fsp.bc.edu/olen-explains-%E2%80%98pound-foolish%E2%80%99/
Olen continues "the idea that we will all be okay if only we learn proper money management – is an excuse to blame people for their troubles.  Since the late 1970s, a massive inequality issue has opened up. We have very little class mobility in our country. We know that our net worth plunged by 40 percent in 2007-2010.  To turn around and tell people that their issues are all their fault is naïve at best and it’s an outright lie at worst." Read Olen's book for more perspective on our economy and the personal finance industry. 

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