How Do I know You Won’t Steal My Money?

About the Book

This book is written to help the average person to make the right decisions about financial planning and investing. It discusses in layman’s language key issues of 5 popular investments : annuities, REITS, mutual funds, exchange traded funds, and life insurance. It also helps answer questions about reverse mortgages, life settlements, and paying off a mortgage. It tells you how to find the right accountant, the right attorney, and the right professional financial planner. Very important are the stories about financial predators. For example Vern’s experience with Jim Jones. Jones not only stole millions of people’s assets but with his Kool Aid killing over 900 people in Jonestown.
The stories help you to produce guardrails and alerts to help protect your money and other assets.

About the Author

AUTHOR
Money: Use It or Lose It- Book, 1979
“How to Choose a Financial Planner”- Article
“Getting an Investing Game Plan” – John Wiley & Sons, 2003
“The Commonsense Process of Financial Planning” – First training manual written, 1979
92 Columns for the site The Street (archives)
32 Articles for the Journal of Financial Planning
Journal American Associates of Individual Investors “How to Create a Winning Game Plan”
How Do I Know You Won’t Steal My Money- Book, 2025
“The Four Principles of Successful Investing” Physician’s Money Digest, September 2006

BACKGROUND
Private Practice 54 years
317 TV interviews- CNBC, Bloomberg, NBC, ABC, News 12, CNN
Who’s Who in Finance and Industry
Frequent Speaker for various consumer and professional groups
Founder of Financial Planning Division of a Community Bank
Major, US Air Force

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Past President, IAFP- Northern California, 1975.
Chairman of the annual meeting of the Northern California IAFP, 1976.
Founding President Financial Planning Association- Greater Hudson Valley, 1987
Advisor Boards- Iona College, Golden Gate University
College for Financial Planning, Board Member
National Endowment for Financial Education, a founder and chairman (NEFE)
CFP Board of Standards, Member
Financial Planning Association, National Board Member
Education Committee: Securities Industry Associates
The Financial Planning Association CT Chapter created the annual Vern Hayden Lifetime Achievement Award. There have been 6 recipients so far.
Vern received the Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.

EDUCATION
B.A. Wheaton College, Illinois- Philosophy
Graduate Work- N.Y.U., American University, USC

WORKSHOPS AND PRESENTATIONS
American Cancer Society
American Express, Inc.
American Red Cross
Connecticut and New York’s Societies of CPAs
Dun and Bradstreet, Inc.
Greater New York Dental Convention
IBM- 21 Pre Retirement workshops
Wells Fargo Advisors
Independent Accountants Association
Keynote Speaker, 2015 Annual Exposition, Chengdu, China
Japan Association for Financial Planning (helped create first independent planner in Japan)
Pitney Bowes, Inc.
Texaco, Inc.
Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Club
University of Bridgeport, CT
University of California
Westchester and Fairfield County Medical Societies
Several regions and chapters of the FPA