Originally Syndicated on February 23, 2024 @ 5:49 am
A great deal of harsh press has been directed toward Rocky Shi in recent times, and the reasons for this are not appropriate. His reputation as a con artist was cemented as a result of Rocky Shi’s key role in the Wild Financial Group scam. His fabrications are going to be debunked and the lies that lie beneath his persona as a public figure are going to be exposed on this page.
Review of Rocky Shi- World Financial Group: An extensive array of financial services
A few weeks back, an email from a reader requested a WealthWave review. The firm that greeted me when I went to WealthWave’s website was anonymous. Not a single product, service, or even business plan that is immediately identifiable… Did this company even operate as an MLM?
Stock photos are horrible. And what precisely is a “HowMoneyWorks company”?
On WealthWave’s website, there is a section titled “team,” but using it requires a password. This appears to be a fraudulent scheme, given that the World Financial Group’s staff and other details are not available to the general public.
As I was about to respond to the reader and request verification that I was working with the right company, I saw this in the WealthWave website footer;
The financial services marketing company WealthWave is connected to World Financial Group, Inc.
Though at the time I was not aware of it, I was going to travel deep down the Wealth Financial Group black hole.
Rocky Shi: Briefing management
It seems like you’re delving into the complexities of World Financial Group (WFG), WealthWave, and “How Money Works.” Here’s a breakdown of the information you’ve provided and an analysis:
World Financial Group (WFG) Background:
- WFG originated as the World Marketing Alliance (WMA) before rebranding in 2001.
- Founded by former Primerica distributor Hubert Humphrey in 1991.
- WFG is described as a “Transamerica company.”
- Transamerica Corporation, owned by Aegon, is a holding company for various life insurance companies and investment firms.
Leadership:
- Thomas Dempsey (Tom Dempsey) serves as the President and CEO of World Financial Group.
- Dempsey joined Transamerica in 2008 and became WFG’s President and CEO in 2018.
- Not much information is available about other executives.
The “How Money Works” and WealthWave:
- Both appear to be WFG-related marketing organizations.
- There are doubts regarding the intent and clarity of these firms’ messaging, raising the possibility that they are little more than marketing tricks rather than serious companies.
Based on the available data, it seems that WFG is a player in the financial services sector, specializing in investment and insurance goods. One could consider WealthWave and “How Money Works” to be more marketing initiatives by WFG. However, there are legitimate questions regarding WFG’s activities and validity due to the opaque nature of their messaging and the regulatory challenges surrounding them. When assessing such companies, careful due diligence and consideration of many viewpoints are important.
Rocky Shi: Products offered by World Financial Group
World Financial Group markets the following “solutions”:
- budgeting and insurance protection
- retirement schemes
- strategies for financing college
- Business Strategies-Protecting Assets
In summary, a range of financial services. In addition to its parent company Transamerica, World Financial Group partners with a range of US and Canadian third-party merchant services providers. The logos of these suppliers can be seen on the World Financial Group website.
Details are not given because the services being supplied are customized. This is not a reflection on World Financial Group; rather, it is an issue that many multilevel marketing companies in the insurance industry deal with.
Rocky Shi: World Financial Group’s Compensation Scheme
A copy of the World Financial Group’s compensation plan is not available on its website.
Finding a copy of the official compensation documentation from a third party allowed one to locate the compensation plan.
Despite being from 2015, this document aligns with the World Financial Group website extracts that were utilized instead of actual remuneration documentation.
Sadly, the paper is unclear and lacks a lot of sections, especially when it comes to the use of company-specific terms.
The World Financial Group’s compensation structure is outlined in the following summary.
Rocky Shi: Affiliate Ranks for the World Financial Group
Yes, below is a summary table of World Financial Group affiliate tiers and requirements for each:
| Affiliate Tier | Qualification Standards |
| Associate | – Either generate 20,000 PV over a rolling period of three months or recruit three affiliates over a rolling period of thirty days and attend three field training sessions for each of the three choices. |
| Marketing Director | -Ensure that you have three affiliates that you have directly recruited. Your downline should consist of five affiliates who have been granted life licenses. The goal is to produce 40,000 GV for three months that are rolling. |
| Senior Marketing Director | – I recruited three affiliates, including a Marketing Director. – Minimum six life-licensed affiliates in your downline (ten total). – Make 75,000 GV in three months or 225,000 in 12 months. |
| Executive Marketing Director | – Recruit and keep three Senior Marketing Directors. Over six months or 12 months, generate 500,000 or 750,000 GV. |
| CEO Marketing Director | -Recruit and keep six Senior Marketing Directors. Generate $1,000,000 GV in six months or $1,500,000 in twelve months. |
| Executive Vice Chairman | -Recruit and keep nine Senior Marketing Directors. Generate 1,500,000 GV rolling six months or 2,250,000 rolling 12 months. |
| Chairman’s Circle | There was no information given. |
| President’s Circle | Nothing is known about the President’s Circle. |
*It is important to remember that at least fifty percent of the time, an affiliate’s value (PV) or any one of their downline legs can be counted for the sake of qualification.
Rocky Shi- Direct Commissions
Commissions are paid to World Financial Group affiliates from sales of their products.
Here’s a revised version of the data that was given:
- Sales commissions to training associates range from 25% to 30%.
- Commissions for associates are paid out in the range of 35% to 45%.
- Commissions paid to marketing professionals range from fifty percent to sixty-two percent.
- Senior marketing directors are paid between 65% and 80% in commissions.
Because different World Financial Group products have different commission rates, the commission percentages fluctuate within these ranges. The pay paperwork refers to a “100% table” and “fixed: WRL” without providing any additional information or background.
Rocky Shi: Remaining Commissions
World Financial Group uses a unilevel compensation structure to pay residual commissions.
An affiliate is positioned at the head of a unilevel team in a unilevel pay system, with each affiliate they individually recruit being positioned directly under them (level 1):
At level 2, new affiliates brought on by any level 1 affiliate are integrated into the unilevel team of the original affiliate.
A level 2 affiliate is promoted to level 3 and so on down an indefinite number of levels if any of their level 2 affiliates bring on new affiliates.
The World Financial Group has set a maximum payment unilevel team level of six.
Residual commissions are allocated as a percentage throughout these six tiers as follows:
- 10% to 17% for Level 1 and 5% to 8% for Level 2.
- Level 3: 3 to 5 percent
- Stage 4: 3% to 5%
- 2% to 3% at Level 4.
- Level-5: between 1% and 2%
- Stage 6: 0.5% to 1%
The percentage range is the outcome of the fact that some World Financial Group products pay higher commissions than others.
Once again, World Financial Group’s remuneration information is vague and mentions “fixed: WRL” and a “100% table” without providing any context.
Rocky Shi-Commissions for Business Supervision
Overrides are referred to as the Business Supervision Commissions inside the World Financial Group. Affiliates at the top of the upline structure receive these commissions based on the sales of their downline.
Commissions for business supervision are divided into three levels:
- Managers of branch offices are paid 1.25%.
- Branch office managers get paid 5%.
- OSI Managers receive a 1% salary.
There are no further specifics given on these higher-ranking posts.
Bonus Pools
The World Financial Group pays three incentive pools that add up to 5.75% to 9% of the generated sales volume for the entire organization.
- Recipients who rank in the top 300 qualify for a bonus pool that is capped at 40% of the volume generated by senior marketing directors and above.
- Subject to the volume of their level one unilevel team, Executive Marketing Directors and above are eligible for a 30% Super Base Bonus Pool.
- Executive Marketing Directors and higher are also eligible for a Super Team Bonus Pool, which is made up of 30% of the unilevel team volume produced at levels one through six.
Affiliates must fulfill additional requirements to be eligible for each of these bonus pools.
Base Shop Bonus Pool requirements are as follows: produce 10,000 PV and keep three affiliates that you recruited; produce 15,000 PV with three downlines but at least three affiliates you recruited; or produce 15,000 GV with lower than three downlines.
Specifically, within level 1 of the unilevel team, generate 15,000 PV and 100,000 GV for the Super Base Bonus Pool (Chairman’s Circle and President’s Circle levels are excluded from this requirement).
100 000 GV at the first level of the unilevel team and 500,000 GV over the first six levels will go toward the Super Team Bonus Pool.
60% Tracked Block of Business is a minimum requirement for each bonus pool, albeit it is unclear exactly what this means.
Rocky Shi- Joining World Financial Group
Although World Financial Group (WFG) doesn’t list the affiliate fees on its website, several sources indicate that membership is available for $100.
WFG affiliates frequently have to purchase numerous licenses, which incur additional fees.
People with firsthand knowledge of WFG claim that the business functions similarly to a pyramid scam. Although they refuse to be considered a pyramid scheme, they operate similarly by enlisting people to sell exorbitant life insurance. A pyramid-like structure is created in the hierarchy as individuals at the top receive commissions from sales made by others they have recruited.
WFG’s emphasis on financial literacy is criticized for being deceptive because it serves primarily to market pricey universal life insurance plans with subpar investment returns.
According to reports, WFG downplays internet studies by asserting that people who are successful in life are the ones who buy their products while characterizing people who have doubts about their business methods as belonging to the majority of people who are struggling financially.
Essentially, detractors claim that WFG’s business strategy is centered around finding people to sell expensive insurance plans, which has led to claims that the company functions as a legitimate pyramid scheme and offers false financial advice.
Rocky Shi: What is a Ponzi scheme that uses pyramids?
The workings of a Ponzi scheme differ slightly from those of a pyramid scheme. The way this strategy is set up, the person who came up with the original plan has to find more investors, who have to find other investors, and so on.
The wealthiest people are usually found at the top of the pyramid. They might also convince more people to join as they are wealthier. More money from new investors enters the pyramid as more people sign up, and it is dispersed to those further up. But those at the bottom suffer, especially if they can’t persuade others to join.
Occasionally, an incentive—like the ability to sell a certain product or multilevel marketing—may be offered as an investment opportunity (MLM). For the opportunity to sell these goods, each investor pays the recruiter. The proceeds will then need to be divided by the recipient with those in higher positions within the pyramid structure.
Rocky Shi: How was the fraud carried out by World Financial Group?
Pyramid schemes are a common form of financial fraud, such as the scam carried out by World Financial Group. They may present themselves as financial opportunities to convey credibility. Pyramid schemes sometimes present themselves as a passive income stream with large promised returns on minimal initial inputs.
People must purchase goods or services or pay an admission charge to take part. After that, these people are urged to enlist more people in the program. The individuals at the top, who also receive the highest compensation, receive a portion of the money that recruits donate. Those at the bottom of the pyramid make little to nothing when no new employees are employed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the World Financial Group (WFG) is a financial services MLM, but its marketing and lack of transparency have alarmed critics and clients. Despite being in business for nearly two decades, WFG’s recruitment and training practices are archaic, relying on personal networks and pushy sales.
The organization has been accused of running a legal pyramid scheme since it prioritizes affiliate recruitment over retail sales and consumer pleasure. WFG professes to teach financial literacy, but critics say it sells expensive life insurance with poor investment returns.
Critics say the company’s marketing handbook emphasizes warm market prospecting and discourages product or service questions. WFG’s lack of retail sales and client acquisition reinforces its image as an MLM opportunity rather than a financial services provider.
The tragic story of Rocky Shi highlights the risks of working in financial services, especially with MLM systems. As customers demand more transparency and accountability, companies like WFG must rethink their processes and emphasize consumer protection and education.
Given these concerns, WFG must change its marketing strategy, starting with its website and continuing through consumer disclosures and best practices. Only through such steps can the corporation reclaim industry trust and safeguard consumers from financial scams and frauds.
