Securities Lawyers Blog
According to BrokerCheck records financial advisor Michael Lyle (Lyle), currently employed by Transamerica Financial Advisors, Inc. (Transamerica) has been subject to four customer complaints and one tax lien during during his career. According to records kept by The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), many of the customer complaints against Lyle concern allegations over variable annuity sales practices.
In January 2019 a customer filed a complaint alleging that Lyle violated the securities laws by, among other things, that the product was misrepresented in that she was told she would receive returns of $7,500 monthly but that Lyle had failed to inform her of the IRS penalties for early withdrawals causing $100,000 in damages. The claim is currently pending.
In June 2018 a customer filed a complaint alleging that Lyle violated the securities laws by, among other things, that the product was unsuitable and that Lyle failed to inform her of the IRS penalty for early withdrawals causing $73,594 in damages. The claim was denied.
Variable annuities are complex financial and insurance products. In fact, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a publication entitled: Variable Annuities: What You Should Know encouraging investors to ask questions about the variable annuity before investing. Essentially, a variable annuity is a contract with an insurance company under which the insurer agrees to make periodic payments to you. The investor chooses the investments made in the annuity and value of your variable annuity will vary depending on the performance of the investment options chosen. The primary benefits of variable annuities are the death benefit and tax deferment of investment gains.