A financial adviser who pushed 2,000 clients to raid retirement accounts drew the maximum 20 years for a $380 million Ponzi scheme
A federal judge in Atlanta sentenced Todd Burkhalter, founder of the Georgia financial advisory firm Drive Planning LLC, to the statutory maximum of 20 years in prison on Aug. 14 for running a $380 million Ponzi scheme that consumed the retirement savings of more than 2,000 investors. U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said Burkhalter “ruthlessly […]
Read MoreA financial adviser who pushed 2,000 clients to raid retirement accounts drew the maximum 20 years for a $380 million Ponzi scheme
A federal judge in Atlanta sentenced Todd Burkhalter, founder of the Georgia financial advisory firm Drive Planning LLC, to the statutory maximum of 20 years in prison on Aug. 14 for running a $380 million Ponzi scheme that consumed the retirement savings of more than 2,000 investors. U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said Burkhalter “ruthlessly […]
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Insurance & Protection
Homeowners insurance now rivals the mortgage payment for 44% of owners, and nearly a quarter have been dropped since 2024
Homeowners insurance has closed the gap with the mortgage payment for a large share of American households, according to a…
Personal Finance
Insurance & Protection
Homeowners insurance now rivals the mortgage payment for 44% of owners, and nearly a quarter have been dropped since 2024
Homeowners insurance has closed the gap with the mortgage payment for a large share of American households, according to a…
Markets & Investing
Banking & Credit Cards
Fraud & Scams
A financial adviser who pushed 2,000 clients to raid retirement accounts drew the maximum 20 years for a $380 million Ponzi scheme
A federal judge in Atlanta sentenced Todd Burkhalter, founder of the Georgia financial advisory firm Drive Planning LLC, to the statutory maximum of 20 years...
Fraud & Scams
Locking your Social Security number online blocks new-account identity theft
A thief with a Social Security number and little else can open a credit card, take out a loan, or file a false tax return...
Fraud & Scams
Romance and crypto “pig-butchering” scams are the fastest-growing way thieves drain retirement savings
A stranger’s message lands out of nowhere — a wrong-number text, a dating-app match, a new follower with a friendly comment — and months later,...
Fraud & Scams
Elder-fraud losses hit roughly $7.75 billion last year, a 59% jump
Older Americans reported losing roughly $7.75 billion to fraud last year, a 59% jump over the prior year, according to the FBI’s own tally of...
Fraud & Scams
A Doxim data-breach settlement pays credit-union members up to $5,000, or $100 with no proof, by October 13
A $5.5 million settlement is now open to people notified that their personal information was exposed in a December 2023 data breach at Doxim, Inc.,...
Fraud & Scams
Federal agents caught the accused ringleader of a $250 million gold-and-cash scam that drained older Americans as he tried to flee through JFK airport
A criminal network accused of stripping more than $250 million from older Americans lost its accused top money-mover this week. Authorities caught the man investigators...
Real Estate
Buying & Selling
Almost anyone who bought a home through a real-estate agent can still claim part of a $120 million commission settlement, but the window closes October 27
A settlement worth $120.3 million is now open to almost anyone who bought a home listed on a multiple listing…
Retirement & Taxes
An Ohio hospital system is dropping Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and two more Medicare Advantage insurers, all out of network January 1
Adding an adult child to your bank account can expose the money to that child’s creditors and lawsuits
Student-loan forgiveness is taxable again in 2026 for income-driven plans, so a wiped-out balance can trigger a surprise tax bill
Looser federal rules mean a flood of Medicare sales calls and mailers this fall, and not all are on the level
State regulators warn that swapping a pension for an annuity often just pays a salesperson a fat commission
Working while collecting Social Security before full retirement age withholds $1 of benefits for every $2 over the 2026 limit
A noncitizen who worked and paid into Social Security for at least 10 years can still draw a benefit
A divorced spouse married at least 10 years can collect up to half an ex’s Social Security, and the ex is never told
A surviving spouse can collect 100% of a late partner’s Social Security by waiting to full retirement age