Richard Hurley from Auckland City Brokers

Remember this name, Richard Hurley, Managing Director of Auckland City Brokers and on the recommended advisor's page on the Good Returns website Richard is described as having:

"18 years of experience in the Finance and Investment industry and has lived in Mt Eden for 25 years. Your satisfaction is guaranteed".

And his company Auckland City Brokers is there to:

"To protect our reputation and your peace of mind, we deal only in quality products.

We aim to implement strategies that will build your wealth and produce income streams in retirement".

All good inspiring, bodice ripping stuff but lets see how this stacks up.

Richard advised one of my elderly retired clients to invest a large sum of money into various ING funds that went belly up last year - he got an upfront fee for selling it to this person.

He advised on the basis that the investment was safe and low risk. This is not the case at all. That fact is that some of these funds were investing in derivatives in the United States, some of the riskiest investments (more like a roulette wheel) that one can make.

My client was assured by Richard that the investment was very safe.

Two days before ING announced a freeze of the funds this individual asked Richard to redeem the investment because of its dropping value but Richard laughed at this request and told his client not to worry because investments changed in value all the time - said said he was speaking to her like she was a fool.

Richard has refused to take responsibility for his selling of ING products to this person on the basis that it was low risk and turned out to be high risk and has left his former client in the lurch in terms of her getting all her money back.

We can imagine the rest.

There was much heartbreak, stress and tears over the following months and in the recounting of the facts today my client was close to tears a number of times.

Fast forward to the offer from ANZ/ING to investors in their failed funds of a 60% return of their capital into a cash call account at just over 8% but with a legal stipulation that those that accept the offer will not sue ANZ/ING or can you believe it anyone who advised people to invest in the fund.

You would have to ask yourself why is ANZ/ING protecting advisers, when they are not part of their corporation. The answer you might get, like me, is that advisers might know more than the public does about dodgy dealings in relation to what went on at ING/ANZ and a legal way of shutting the whole thing down is the best way to keep a lid on things.

I didn't sign anything so I aint obliged to shut my gob.

My client accepted the ING/ANZ offer because the individual is getting on in life and hasn't got the energy to waste precious time and money going through a long expensive legal process that might not be winnable. Life is too short and all that stuff.

Financial Advisers (and I use that term in its loosest sense) like Richard are going to get away with their misleading advice because people like my confidant are either afraid, ashamed or legally obligated not to talk about it and that is a crime, morally and legally.

Richard Hurley from Auckland City Brokers and his ilk have advised and made money off the elderly under false pretenses in cases like the one above. They have lost nothing, others have lost everything they have worked their lives for and now live with a high degree of uncertainty in retirement.

Mr Hurley you have fallen well short of being a good financial adviser.

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