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Old 03-13-2016, 04:27 PM   #21
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and this is just the beginning..........

in a few yrs, you'll get invites for learning about hearing loss, and later
neuropathy. Free dinner, free testing, sometimes even gift cards for Costco.
Lots of anglers around . Just don't forget who the fish are..........
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Old 03-13-2016, 07:10 PM   #22
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I attended one dinner and I posted my experience in depth some number of months ago. I found the food to be very good, and I enjoyed meeting the other attendees. I found the presentation to be pretty much what I expected. I elected to have the sales guy follow up with me and visit my house, but once I figured out he wanted to sell me a bunch of crappy annuity products I ended the conversations. But overall, I enjoyed the experience and was glad that I attended.

I've been invited to others, but DH hates going to these kinds of things and I don't really want to attend alone, so I haven't signed up for any others.
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Old 03-13-2016, 07:30 PM   #23
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I go to these when I get invited as long as I get the full meal and not some cheese and crackers scam. My favourite one was the fall of 2007 with guy telling the audience that they couldn't go wrong taking a big HELOC and putting it all in the market. Hopefully everyone else was just there for the food that day too. Occasionally a good idea issues forth but mostly it is for entertainment value only. Then of course there is the one that I pay to go to... Bogleheads.
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Old 03-13-2016, 07:44 PM   #24
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Life's too short and I eat too much good food already. I don't know what would make me desperate enough to go to one of these seminars.
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Old 03-13-2016, 08:04 PM   #25
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Originally Posted by kaneohe View Post
and this is just the beginning..........

in a few yrs, you'll get invites for learning about hearing loss, and later
neuropathy. Free dinner, free testing, sometimes even gift cards for Costco.
Lots of anglers around . Just don't forget who the fish are..........
DH and I have never attended one of these, although receiving many mailers. We may get brave enough one day.

Our latest offers a meal at one of our favorite fish places.....and it is about:

Dignity Memorial. Life Well Celebrated. Griffin Leggett Healey & Roth Funeral Home.

Retrieving that invite from the mailbox was not a giggly moment.
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Old 03-14-2016, 08:22 AM   #26
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I went to a couple about 10 years ago, one for portfolio management and another for RE investment. The format was a downtown hotel with pretty good food, pitch at noon, food at 1pm. Generally low key pitch. I shut down the RE right away but went for an appointment for the portfolio manager. I had questions about my MILs portfolio. They had no good answers and it helped me have the confidence take over MILs portfolio, saving her many $1000s over the years.

I still get occasional invitations but they are always when we are down south, not that I would go. We have also gone to a couple of timeshare pitches. They were at breakfast so the food was cold buns plus a free night stay. Never was tempted but I had fun talking to them about the fact that their properties were 3-4x as expensive as outright purchase.
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Old 03-14-2016, 05:58 PM   #27
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OK, so maybe the next time they have one at a really good restaurant maybe I'll sign up and go. I know pretty much all the angles but hey, a free dinner is a free dinner. . . . .
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Old 03-15-2016, 04:13 AM   #28
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Question is, to no one in particular, do you want your spouse to attend, but after you're gone? Or do you go now, eat and listen, and discuss how the pitch may sound good, but here is what you're giving away when signing an agreement. Here's our instructions, and how to move forward when the time comes...
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Old 03-15-2016, 04:37 AM   #29
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I'd rather pay for my own food and eat in peace.
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Old 03-15-2016, 06:10 AM   #30
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I've never ever been invited to one of these events.

Closest I can come is got an invite to an Amway sales pitch once . ...

I must not be in the target demographic or I fly below their radar.
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Old 03-15-2016, 07:09 AM   #31
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I am thankful that somehow I am flying under the radar and don't get invitations. I would not go if I did receive invitations. Like Gumby, I would just soon pay for my own meal and avoid the hassle and phone calls.
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Old 03-15-2016, 07:34 AM   #32
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Question is, to no one in particular, do you want your spouse to attend, but after you're gone? Or do you go now, eat and listen, and discuss how the pitch may sound good, but here is what you're giving away when signing an agreement. Here's our instructions, and how to move forward when the time comes...

My wife and I attended together. In our discussions afterward she learned a lot about how we could manage our money just as well as most FA's could. It gave her confidence that we could manage things ourselves. Now we are retired and she is learning the nuts and bolts of our plan so she can manage when I pass on.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum
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Old 03-15-2016, 07:58 AM   #33
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We used to live in a ritzier Zip Code and got a lot of them. We moved last July to an area with less glamorous demographics and either they haven't found us yet or they think there's no money in this area. Fine with me. We've never attended. Now that I'm retired I have the time, but I just don't want to deal with super-friendly guys/women in suits with expensive haircuts who are cozying up to me because they want to help me "manage my wealth".
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Old 03-15-2016, 08:38 AM   #34
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We used to live in a ritzier Zip Code and got a lot of them. We moved last July to an area with less glamorous demographics and either they haven't found us yet or they think there's no money in this area. Fine with me. We've never attended. Now that I'm retired I have the time, but I just don't want to deal with super-friendly guys/women in suits with expensive haircuts who are cozying up to me because they want to help me "manage my wealth".
But it can be fun to have a nice meal off those "super-friendly guys/women in suits with expensive haircuts who are cozying up to me"

Like in Call Saul, where he got an FA to buy $50 shots of tequila. . . .
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Old 03-15-2016, 09:14 AM   #35
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Not my thing. I'm too much of an INTJ type to be comfortable going and having lunch with a bunch of strangers. Free food doesn't compensate for the dread of that.
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Old 03-15-2016, 09:24 AM   #36
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Having lunch with a bunch of strangers would be less bothersome to me than listening to the spiel and having to constantly resist the urge to shout "Bullsh!t!".

Bad for my digestion...
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Old 03-15-2016, 09:30 AM   #37
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I'd rather pay for my own food and eat in peace.
+1000 This is exactly how I feel. I would not find this type of "free food" adventure at all desirable.
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Old 03-15-2016, 09:50 AM   #38
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Like in Call Saul, where he got an FA to buy $50 shots of tequila. . . .

That was one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite shows. LOL!!
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Old 03-15-2016, 12:14 PM   #39
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I'd rather pay for my own food and eat in peace.
Exactly how I feel. I've never been to one of these meals although I get invitations at least monthly.
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Old 03-15-2016, 12:19 PM   #40
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I keep getting invites to pretty good restaurants for a "free" seminar on retirement planning. Is the hassle worth the meal? I'm pretty thick skinned and can get a good laugh at some of the "hard" sell, but still, is it worth the hassle?
If you feel like you can control yourself and NOT POST A "RANT" after attending, go. It's not a big commitment of time and, with the right mindset, you can learn by paying attention to what's between the lines of the sales pitch.

But, if you feel like you might be unable to control yourself from coming back from the "seminar" and posting yet another "RANT" on this site, please, please don't go. Others have been pretty active starting those threads and they're getting old.
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