The Vigilant Investor: A Former SEC Enforcer Reveals How to Fraud-Proof Your Investments - Hardcover

Huddleston, Pat

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0814417507 ISBN 13: 9780814417508

Publisher: Amacom Books, 2011

Synopsis

Making sound investments is tough enough without having to worry about unscrupulous financial advisers and outright frauds. But recently strengthened laws aren't enough to stop the "professionals" intent on profiting from - or just plain stealing - your money. As an Enforcement Branch Chief at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Pat Huddleston witnessed countless people lose their life savings to reckless stockbrokers and fraudulent schemes. Now an SEC-recommended Receiver and CEO of a securities and investment fraud investigation agency, Huddleston has intimate knowledge of how scam artists and bad brokers operate. In The Vigilant Investor, he explains WHY we fall for investment scams, HOW con artists play on our emotions, and WHAT we can do to protect ourselves from predators. With its unique look into the science of financial decision making, the book blows up the popular myths and simplistic "do's and don'ts" of investing while sharing techniques anyone can use to perform due d

About this title

About the Author

PAT HUDDLESTON is CEO of Investor’s Watchdog LLC, an investment fraud investigation agency. He has been an SEC Enforcer, court-appointed Receiver, and investment attorney. A frequent guest on television and radio, he has been quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Investment News, and many other publications.

From the Back Cover

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE VIGILANT INVESTOR:

“Successful investing involves avoiding serious errors—winning by not losing. The Vigilant Investor shows us how to avoid explicit frauds and scams as well as to understand the conflicts of interest that can incentivize the financial community to enrich themselves at our expense. As a former top cop at the SEC, Pat Huddleston is the investor’s perfect teacher.”— Burton Malkiel, bestselling author of A Random Walk Down Wall Street

“Concise, readable, and scary, The Vigilant Investor thoroughly exposes the under­world of investment frauds and fraudsters and offers pragmatic safety tips that can benefit even the most sophisticated investors. It’s a must-read, particularly for investors and money managers who think investment fraud won't happen to them.”— Jim Marshall, member of Congress, U.S. House of Representatives (2003–2011), Financial Services Committee; board member, National Futures Association

“The Vigilant Investor is rich in anecdotes and wise advice. The anecdotes act like parables to teach you how the bad guys operate, and the advice arms you on how best to spot and avoid them. Author Huddleston also alerts us to our own biases that make us, rich and poor, vulnerable to scams.”— Robert Frick, senior editor, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance; author of Kiplinger’s "Your Mind and Your Money" column

“The Vigilant Investor is a must-read for anyone intent on avoiding a rogue’s gallery of con artists posing as financial advisers. Pat Huddleston encourages investors to ask hard questions and plumb public records before taking a finan­cial plunge, and he shows them how to do it. It’s an eye-opener for anyone who mistakenly thinks flimflams only happen to other people.”— Christopher Boyd, contributing writer, Wealth magazine

From the Inside Flap

According to the FBI, Americans are conned out of roughly $40 billion dollars—the equivalent of one Madoff-sized mega-scam—every single year through investment fraud. Despite Congress’s best intentions, recently strengthened laws aren’t enough to stop the “professionals” intent on profiting from—or just plain stealing—your money. And with our increasingly “small,” connected world, technology has enabled con men in Russia and Dubai to rob baby boomers, senior citizens, business owners, pension plans, and all other investors in America.

Unfortunately, the information available to us through official sources is often dangerously incomplete, with many of the worst offenders going unidentified. Without arming yourself with the best strategies and information, it is all but impossible to tell a seemingly ethical adviser from a crook who’s going to take your money and run.

So what’s the answer? Do we just stop investing?

As an Enforcement Branch Chief at the Securities and Exchange Commission, author Pat Huddleston has witnessed countless people lose their life savings to reckless stockbrokers and fraudulent schemes. Now a court-appointed Receiver, CEO of a fraud prevention due diligence company, attorney for investors, and blogger on investment scams, Huddleston has intimate knowledge of how scam artists and bad brokers operate. In The Vigilant Investor, he explains why we fall for investment scams, how con artists play on the human tendencies we all share, and—most importantly—what we can do to protect ourselves from predators.

Featuring gripping stories of actual cases, The Vigilant Investor blows up the popular myths and simplistic “do’s and don’ts” of investing while sharing techniques you can use to perform due diligence even better than the “experts.” The book examines key information from the science of decision-making, shedding light on why—despite all the warnings—so many people fall victim to investment fraud and unethical brokers. You’ll read stories of how scammers prey on potential targets and how you can spot fraud and guard yourself against financial catastrophe.

As hard as they work and as dedicated as they are, regulators cannot keep you safe. This book puts the fascinating details of countless misdeeds at your fingertips, providing you with unparalleled practical insight and equipping you to protect your money from those who mean to separate you from it.

PAT HUDDLESTON is CEO of Investor’s Watchdog LLC, a fraud prevention due diligence company. He has been an SEC Enforcer, court-appointed Receiver, and investment attorney. A frequent guest on television and radio, he has been quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Investment News, and many other publications.

Edition details

• Publisher: Amacom Books
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0814417507
• ISBN 13: 9780814417508
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 250