A BULL MARKET FOR ELDER FINANCIAL ABUSE IN NORTH AMERICA

摘要

More than 30 years of financial market growth has helped spread the ownership of financial assets across a broad range of investors -- ushering in a new era of personal, empowered capitalism while increasing the opportunities for financial abusers. Stock and bond markets have flourished with the former rising 20-fold to over $20 trillion market value in the US. Total financial assets owned by individual North American investors now exceed $150 trillion and more than 50 million individuals directly manage their own retirement accounts. Additional trends increase the vulnerability of this newfound wealth, especially among the elderly, including the rise of self-directed accounts and the pervasiveness of online and mobile financial management.