WORLD FINANCIAL GROUP WFG- SHARKS PREYING ON THE ILL-ADVISED . POMONA California

My WFG experience 2007.

I was recently conversing with a trusted friend at my current place of employment about a co-worker named "J" he had known at another job and that had become involved in a Financial Firm. This firm
that had brought he and his family much financial freedom and extra income within the last 18 months. I asked a multitude of questions about his new career and what it involved. My friend did not have many details and advised me i should meet with his friend "J" so my questions could be addressed.
Now, i am like any other curious individual looking for advancement and growth in the job field and am willing to explore alternatives to better my financial situation. I have been employed with the same company for (10) plus years and have topped out on my pay scale. No more room to grow !
I agreed to meet "J" and listen to his story at his other job where he is an RN.
Upon meeting "J", i found him to be an intelligent and polite individual with the WFG story that would impress any person not knowing better. He did not blab about 6 figure incomes, having a huge home, or about a $100,000.00 sports sedan, but he did talk about all the financial freedom, extra income and the ability to help your family and friends with this "GREAT OPPERTUNITY."
He went on to explain that he and his wife both work for WFG and their lives have changed so dramatically, being independent, having the ability to travel, to build an extensive savings, and "LIVING THE DREAM."
I proceeded to ask "J" many specific questions about WFG and what financial services they provided, the company structure and pay practices, and what educational backgound an individual must possess to become involved.
This is where "J" became very vague and generalized rather than detailing WFG and it's services, apparently avoiding a "SCENARIO OF DISASTER."
He advised me i should attend his "COMPANY OVERVIEW" where all my specifics could be better answered. I went ahead and commited to attending the meeting held at 8:30 am that following saturday.
Saturday morning, I arrive early and am standing outside my vehicle taking a little time to get my belongings together and to observe my surroundings at the corporate center. I begin to see many high end cars parking in stalls around my vehicle. I do take notice to the sheer amount of money on wheels and notice that the drivers are very young, some in their early twenties (SMELLS FUNNY). These individuals are dressed in suits and carrying brief cases walking into the WFG building.
I proceed to make my way into the building where i was greeted by some WFG reps at the door and was directed to the second floor suite. Inside i find a crowd of 40 or more individuals standing in a line to the front counter where we were instructed to sign a guest list and receive a name sticker(DON'T CARE FOR RED). I was then met by "J" who told me he was going into a "BPM" meeting and that i was to go with the guests to the presentation. Immediately i observed how the WFG suite looked interum and not well established. The suite was full of cheap used furniture, low budget photographs of their leadership figures, and no real sense of real business in the works. Maybe they felt the 2-3 rented plasma screens were the office's highlights.
During the presentation, there was a lot of talk of how these people's previous careers were everthing from soup to nuts and that they were all struggling, that is until they became part of the WFG DREAM TEAM. Again alot of lip service about "GOING FROM DREAMING TO DOING", and how PROFESSIONALS such as attorneys, law enforcement officers , engineers , teachers , and even executives from other REPUTABLE financial institutions had left their careers to join WFG. The majority of the guests i attempted to speak to had very limited english skills or had the DEER IN HEADLIGHTS STARE.
After the presentation which mind you spoke nothing of the services or products WFG was marketing, we were to attend "MOZONE" in which you are lead around a crowded stuffy room like a dog on a choke chain and introduced to a variety of individuals that seem more like the used car salesman type rather than the people who care about "NO FAMILY LEFT BEHIND" all while your having to scream and ask people to repeat themselves due to the techno trance garbage distorting the office speakers. This rapidly became the "BLOWZONE"
OK, now i have been at this so called CORPORATE OVERVIEW for approximately 2 1/2 hours, have met alot of poeople that don't speak my language well, went through CLUB TECHNO, heard alot about "LIVING THE DREAM" and got schooled in some ultra basic financial terms and ideals, and still have no clue as to what the hell they are asking me to sell to my family and friends aka (WARM MARKET).
Don't get me wrong, i still felt i could trust my newly found friend "J". Maybe i was just being too critical of this new situation as we all know any new job venture has it's own level of stress.
It's hour 3 plus, and by now i have been requested to come along with "J" to his office to review the meeting. This is where i found myself quickly being pushed to sign up as an associate. Statements like "DON'T YOU WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL","DON'T YOU WANT TO HAVE FINANCIAL FREEDOM AND BE DEBT-FREE IN RECORD TIME",AND "HELP YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS ATTAIN FINANCIAL SUCCESS" were used almost as if to be tooled as a guilt trip if i didn't sign up.
Still being a little optimistic i went ahead and put my name on the dotted line. Congradulations on your new business venture, and by the way you will be required to pay a $199.00 dollar "background fee" and will need to purchase the WFG BFS study book for another $10.00 (THINK I STEPPED IN SOME *%) This is not to mention the investment i made in some new business attire. Still, i wanted to stay optimistic. I left that day after spending (4) plus hours and money i did not expect, still hopeful of some positive outcome. WFG and "J", my mentor had made me feel some sort of promise.
Over the next four or five weeks i was attending their BPM's on Saturday mornings as required. Every time we went through our "PREGAME" meeting, then through "BLOWZONE" and eventually back for the same rhetoric, all focus being on recruitment. Again, no real focus on courses or product info and actual marketing skills and tactics. The best part for me was watching a few associates stand before the crowd, receive company checks (I THINK) and read to the audience the amounts they were questionably being paid for(BOGUS) services rendered. Every time i would loose less and less drive to continue attending.
It wasn't until i found myself talking to a co-worker about the WFG that i started to really question the validity of the group. My co-worker i also consider a good friend and she is well established in her educational background. She had apparently had a family member involved with WFG as an associate. The WFG pitch had been made to her by this family member and a MD (MARKETING DIRECTOR) as part of the training. She had explained she purchased a VUL as to help her family member out but started posing some serious questions to the MD. She stated she had the MD so upset because she had hit him with questions that are to be avoided as prescribed by WFG's "SCENARIO OF DISASTER."
Although she did cut a check to this MD for the VUL, she said it had been nearly 60 days and no correspondence had been received via mail. I guess the term MD should be used loosely.
To sum it up, i quit attending any WFG functions and cut all ties to my so-called friend "J" as i feel that if i had continued i would have taken a long and expensive journey to nowhere but broke. I would say that if you have any integrity and compassion for family, friends and people in general, you would steer clear of WFG. They are sharks and you know sharks will bite anyone, even each other.
I still cannot believe a company like AEGON would want to sacrifice there hard earned reputation in the financial community with the backlash that will eventually come to knock on WFG'S door. AEGON will surely have to answer for actions of WFG and to the families it's lied and cheated too to make a quick profit.

R.
ontario, California
U.S.A.

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