Finding a skilled wealth advisor can be a herculean task. But if you know which advisor you should avoid, you can narrow down your search and make the process more efficient. One advisor you should avoid in Florida is Thais Piotrowski Ameriprise.
The following review will explain why you should avoid her and her firm as you’ll learn about her predatory disclosures and history:
Who is Thais Piotrowski Ameriprise?
Thais Piotrowski Ameriprise is a financial advisor based in Boca Raton, Florida. Her office is located at 1875 Corporate Blvd NW Ste 210, Boca Raton, FL 33431, US, and the contact number is 561-952-0664.
Thais Piotrowski runs the Thais D. Piotrowski & Associates group. She has CFP and CRPC certifications. Thais claims to take the time to understand what’s important to her clients to deliver personalized advice. She also claims to offer personalized recommendations, hold regulator meetings, and offer one-to-one financial advice.
Some of the services available at this firm are investment advisory solutions, annuity solutions, cash management solutions, insurance solutions, comprehensive financial advice, retirement planning, tax planning strategies, multigenerational planning, and progress meetings.
At a glance, Thais Piotrowski Ameriprise seems like a credible wealth advisor. However, she has placed many provisions in her disclosures that allow her to take advantage of her clients.
In the next section of my review, you’ll learn about these provisions in detail.
Top Reasons Why You Should Avoid Thais Piotrowski
Multiple Complaints from Clients
Thais Piotrowski has received two legal complaints from her clients in her career. The first dispute occurred in 2009. Here, the client alleged that she purchased an unauthorized mutual fund in February 2009 and caused them losses of $7,319. They requested $7,319 in damages.
However, the firm denied the claim by saying that the client had authorized the purchase.
Did You Know?
Forex stands for foreign exchange market. It is a global decentralized market that facilitates the trading of currencies. Forex also determines the foreign exchange rates for varying currencies and also alters the buying, selling and exchanging of currencies at current or potential prices.
The second dispute occurred in 2013. Here, the client had put in a FINRA request to mediate the matter. Here, she alleged that Thais sold her an unsuitable RVS annuity. She also alleged that her partial surrender request was refused and eventually processed in a way that reduced the guarantee in the policy despite the additional riders she purchased on the policy to prevent the same.
The complaint didn’t specify any damages. However, like in the previous case, Thais’ firm denied the request for FINRA mediation. Still, the disclosure doesn’t mention how the company responded to the allegations.
It’s quite difficult for such conflicts to end in the favor of the investor. That’s because advisors like Thais Piotrowski make you sign multiple waivers which free them of any responsibility and accountability.
Charging 12b-1 Fees
Thais Piotrowski and her firm offer products that charge 12b-1 fees. This is a marketing fee that goes straight into the advisor’s pocket. Companies pay this fee to advisors for promoting certain investment products.
Some investors may think that investments that charge this fee must perform better than those that don’t. But they would be mistaken.
The SEC conducted a detailed study to compare the returns of the investments that charge 12b-1 fees and the investments that don’t charge this fee. It found no difference. The study concluded that the ROI of the investments that charge a 12b-1 fee is worse than the investments that don’t charge this fee. That’s because the investment cost of such securities is substantially higher.
The 12b-1 fee has several additional red flags.
It is a percentage fee, which means how much you pay depends on the size of your portfolio. Hence, this fee is particularly detrimental to investors with large portfolios. It compounds in size over time so it’s unsuitable for portfolios that focus on long-term growth and returns.
When you pay this fee, you don’t get anything in return for the added cost.
Giving Cookie-cutter Advice to Clients
Another disappointing red flag in the disclosures of Thais Piotrowski Ameriprise is that she performs side-by-side management.
When an advisor performs side-by-side management, it means they handle large funds along with small retail accounts. In such cases, advisors and their firms tend to allocate most of their resources to their larger clients, leaving little to nothing for the smaller clients.
If you’re an investor with a small or mid-sized portfolio, you shouldn’t work with such an advisor. Advisors who perform side-by-side management falsely claim to offer personalized advice to their smaller clients. In reality, they offer them generalized cookie-cutter advice.
Every investor has individual requirements and goals. Cookie-cutter advice wouldn’t help you achieve your financial goals and it certainly wouldn’t help you get the returns you desire.
Avoid such advisors at all costs!
Verdict
Thais Piotrowski is a shady and selfish advisor who uses dubious tactics to take advantage of her clients. It wouldn’t be safe for you to work with such a dangerous firm.
Luckily, there are plenty of wealthy advisors in Florida. So, you don’t have to go with the worst option available in the market.
She is an evil and toxic person. Her employee turnover rate is 100% for every 6-12 months. She also bases her recommendations on reaching CAC and which wholesalers will pay for events/dinners.