what/who this forum is intended to serve

[admin]

i am considering tightening up on the comments on investoradvocates.ca

i am now aware of a number of things that might not contruibute to the
quality of the site, and I have now come to the realization that it is, and
should be a site to serve as an intelligent reference site for media and
politicians who want to learn about the "other side" of the industry. I am
trying to avoid having it become a busy "chat" forum where the information
chatted about is high in volume and low in quality. Rob's investorvoice.ca
is the best reference library, and I hope to compliment this site with a
good discussion site.

I direct reporters and other interested parties (politicians, etc) to the
site, and i refer to it as a, "web log, and discussion forum on topics of
investment abuses". I have allowed other comment, and even some unique
critics comments in an effort to test the arguments, debate the issues, and
polish the logic applied to some of our thoughts. I would, however like to
avoid the "chat" atmosphere at all costs. It is time filling, but not value
adding to the cause and the arguments I wish to highlight. (no offense to
Joe K, but I find important, busy and influential people, have no time and
or interest in long winded verbage or spending time hunting through "stuff".
I want to get "right to the point")

In this effort I would like input on how to reduce the volume of commentary.
I would prefer to see focused, succinct, informed comment on investment
abuses and industry faiures. I would prefer to move from the ability to
comment anonymously, to a more recognized level of participation.

so, to repeat my initial premise "i am considering tightening up on the
comments on investoradvocates.ca", and the reasons. Reasons are that I
have no interest in hosting the largest discussion forum on the net. I seek
to host one of the best sites where people can go and get information and
answers without having to sift through miles and miles of verbage.

tell me how I can do this, and i will start to put some measures in place

thanks
advocate
larry elford
investoradvocate@shaw.ca

[admin]

to those who say that speaking out is a waste of time. That nothing is being accomplished, I say this.

Look at the currents of change taking place in the Canadian election right now. Change of a magnitude never before seen as a result of people being educated, informed, and interested in how their institutions serve them. A web log in the UNited States had the courage to defy the canadian media ban on Gomery proceedings, and look at the entire result of this.
Public scandal, that would have otherwise been buried. Ethics at front and center of the news. Maintream media in a frenzy over everything from Gomery to Income Trusts and insider trading.

No, I disagree that speaking out is a waste. those who have done so have changed history in Canada, and they know we have only seen the smallest tip of the iceburg yet. There is more to come, and credible, sensible advocates are moving together, and standing on the shoulders of those who stood before us to make things better.

thanks to them. they know who they are

[admin]

we are not a chat room

this is for experienced, capable, and dedicated investment industry people or commentators who have a demonstrated track record of credible commentary about the inner workings of the industry.

It should go without saying, but we also have a preference to see the inner workings improved for the benefit of all.

Needless to say, we are vehemently opposed by some in the industry who would prefer that nothing change. They may like it just the way it is.

We are happy to offer or expertise and discussion freely to those who are not being well served by and industry that prides itself in promising to serve clients well. Contact is at investoradvocates@shaw.ca and we will correspond with you about your situation. Since we have been on both sides of the fence, and have no vested interest in either, we are usually able to see a bit wider perspective on a given situation.

If you truly have been not well served, or in fact taken advantage of, as sometimes happens in any industry, we will assist you free of charge in getting you some help or recourse. That is what we do. Glad to help.

[admin]

I worked from 1984 to 2004 inside the investment industry. I spent the first ten years just learning the game and trying not to drown in the financial markets. The last ten I found success with clients that trusted me and I placed respect for that trust as my highest priority.

When I found my collegues in the business abusing their clients for commissions etc, I spoke out to management. I was naive in thinking that they would care about the reputation for our company (RBC). They did not. I found that they cared more about commission revenue, and bonus payments. Boy, was I young and foolish.

I took my battles for investment ethics and integrity all the way to the top, and then to securities commissions and beyond. I learned a great deal about corporate abuse and retaliation.

'I finally left in 2004, after having it slowly sink in that white collar crime and abuse of customers is "standard industry practice" and not something to be talked about. It was time for me to leave.

I began to write (blog) about my experience, as I still refused to believe that financial abuse was tolerated and accepted so widely. My early musings are found at http://www.investoradvocate.blogpot.com
I thought I was dealing with bad salesmen, bad sales managers and bad CEO's bent on personal gain. Crimes in the millions of dollars found in any investment office in Canada.

When a young investment employee out west committed suicide over terrible legal and corporate retaliation for speaking out similarly, I became motivated to better document my experiences in hopes it could help others. That brought about

www.breachoftrust.ca

a doc film project that was shot in 2005 and nearly ready for an audience of people interested in white collar crime or investment abuses from an industry insider. I was now dealing with crimes in the hundreds of millions of dollars and crimes in which securities regulators helped to succeed. (this may be a key factor of interest to those needing to get their money back by civil action)

I continued to write, and in about 2006ish I started a web forum www.investoradvocates.ca and after having it hacked, attacked and badly used by industry individuals who did not want my message in the public eye, I tightened it up to not allow posts without coming through the moderator first, and I worked to keep topics small in quantity and larger in quality. I hope it worked. I now call it a "flogg". (forum/blogg) and it is found at http://www.investoradvocates.ca

I am now collecting data and trying to keep track of it all, and the categories on this flogg help a bit. You will see that now I can point to crimes as large as $32 billion (again with regulatory assistance) and also to crimes of finance adding up to more than every other crime in the country, combined. Every year.

I stood on a lot of good people's shoulders to get to this level of experience, and I truly hope that people can use what I have to their benefit.

I offer my experience strength and hope freely to all who can use it and I hope I am giving abused and violated investors a glimmer of hope. Hope is one of the key elements of a decent life and it is one if the things that is often stolen by crimes of finance. If I can be of help from my background of industry, I am happy to help.


take care and do not stop fighting until you have been made whole, whether by the advisor who failed you, the regulator who failed all of us, the police who did nothing, etc., etc.

I have learned that the financial (and regualtory, and political, and police) industry acts all powerful, and can at times be a very bad bully to protect it's own narrow interests. The ONLY thing I have seen to work against this kind of bully is to stand together, in numbers, stand firm, and make some real noise in public to point out their abusive behavior. Alone and silent is the way to certain and continued abuse. Best wishes to you.
Larry