James P Marten Merrill Lynch is a financial manager with an office in Phoenix, Arizona. He runs the Marten Group, which helps people with their money. Before you decide to work with him, though, you should read what’s in his papers. It would help you make a more educated choice.
About James P Marten:
James P Marten is a financial manager for Merrill Lynch in Phoenix, Arizona. His phone number is 602-954-5016, and his address is 2555 E. Camelback Rd., Suite 900, Phoenix, AZ 85016, US. James’ office is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
He is in charge of the Marten Group at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. He says he is easy to reach, knows a lot, and has a lot of experience. James A. Barasha is the vice president of this company, and Gerri A. Cantu is a registered senior wealth manager.
The fact that he works for Merrill Lynch makes him seem more trustworthy, but what he has said makes it clear that he is not. Here are the most important things that James P Marten of Merrill Lynch revealed:
Hidden Red Flags in James P Marten’s Disclosures:
$500k Dispute with FINRA
If you want to hire a financial expert, you should look them up on FINRA BrokerCheck. It’s a database run by FINRA that shows you everything you need to know about an advisor’s work, like their qualifications, their past employers, and, most importantly, any problems they’ve had with clients in the past.
James P Marten’s profile at Merrill Lynch shows that he has been in one disagreement. The report was closed because nothing was done about it. The report says “7-1-2002” on it.
The customer said that he was tricked into investing in Tanglers Holding Inc., which was owned by his cousin, and into guaranteeing a loan for Fulfillment Direct Inc., which was a company that Tanglers Holding Inc. owned. He filed the lawsuit after he stopped paying on the loan, and Merrill Lynch Business Financial Services sent him a notice to sell the collateral he had put up as security.
The customer asked for damages of $503,640.22. But the claim was turned down because it was thought to be false.
Selling products that pay commission
James P Marten’s disclosures show that he sells commission products to his clients, which make up a big part of the money his company makes. When a wealth advisor works on compensation, it creates multiple conflicts of interest. You have to ask yourself, “Does the advisor care more about his clients or his wallet?” to decide if you can trust him or her.
A wealth planner should be able to understand your financial needs and come up with a plan that fits your goals.
When you work with a financial expert who gets paid through commissions, they act more like a salesperson and may even ignore your needs to make a few extra bucks.
Adding on extra costs
Several of the securities that the Marten Group suggests to its clients come with 12b-1 fees. The 12b-1 fee is a marketing fee that generally goes into the broker’s (the advisor’s) pocket.
It’s not necessary, so many of the best wealth managers don’t charge for it at all. The 12b-1 fee to invest costs more, but it doesn’t give any perks in return. The SEC did a lot of research on mutual funds with and without 12b-1 fees. They found that the results from the two were the same. Instead, mutual funds that charge 12b-1 fees were worse because they were more expensive.
The Incentive to Ignore a Client’s Requirements
As a part of Merrill Lynch, James can sell a wide range of investment goods that the company makes or has a connection to. His company makes more money from these goods than from other investments.
A lot of bias can also come from the high commissions that come with proprietary goods. They might suggest securities and investments that aren’t good for you just because they pay too much commission.
If you are a James P Marten Merrill Lynch client, you should look at your investments to see if they are giving you the best results.
Putting clients at risk without reason
Performance-based fees, which are what the Marten Group charges, are known for pushing high-risk tactics. People don’t like performance-based fees, and most clients don’t think they’re right for them.
Advisors who get paid based on how well they do have to do better than a certain standard, which could put their clients in danger. When the market is unstable or going down, these tactics can cause a client to lose a lot of money. So, it’s best to stay away from performance-based fees altogether, especially if you don’t want a plan with a lot of risks.
This is one of the main reasons why it’s hard to suggest James P Marten and his company to an investor.
Conclusion
Even though he works for a well-known company, it’s hard to suggest his services. James’s actions show that he doesn’t put his client’s needs before his own.
So many things are going on that are just wrong, like selling commissioned goods or putting clients in more danger.
For all of these reasons, it would be best to find a different wealth management expert who puts your needs before his.
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