On April 28, 2012, Brian Smiley was a guest presenter at a public forum on “African Americans & Retirement” sponsored by the Economics Department at Spelman College and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration. Brian spoke on “How to Avoid Being a Victim of Investment Rip-offs & Frauds.” The forum was moderated by M. Alexis Scott, Publisher of the Atlanta Daily World. Other speakers included:
Phyllis C. Borzi, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employee Benefits Security;
Dorothy Brown, Professor of Law, Emory University;
Naomi Karp, Policy Analyst, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Office for Older Americans; and
Vicki Elisa, Director of Community Education (Atlanta), Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement
Brian’s presentation touched on illegal or unwise investments such as Ponzi schemes, bogus promissory notes, index annuities, hedge funds, private placements, free lunch seminars for seniors, and load mutual funds.
A photo gallery from the event held on Spelman’s campus in Atlanta can be found on the U.S. Department of Labor’s website at http://www.dol.gov/dol/media/photos/slideshows/20120428-ebsa-forum.htm. The Labor Department intends to post a webcast of the entire program in the near future.
