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The Transformative Insights Newsletter – December 2025

Welcome to this month’s edition of The Transformative Insights Newsletter by AMG Wealth Management. As we close out the year, we’d like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

To end the year, we are going to cover something a little less cheery than Santa Claus: common scams happening today and how to avoid falling victim to them. While you may not enjoy this read, it could save you from a massive headache or worse.

Scams of 2025

With AI proliferating through society at a breakneck pace, scammers, like everybody else, are eager to use it for their advantage. Perpetrators use AI technology, along with people’s fear and anxiety, to get victims to make decisions quickly to avoid ‘bad scenarios.’ This Newsletter aims to arm you with knowledge to slow things down and think rationally if you feel like you might be getting scammed. In fact, if you feel like you might be getting scammed, please don’t hesitate to call myself (813-732-7915) or Tom (813-244-7661) immediately to determine the legitimacy of the situation. At the very least, please refer back to this newsletter’s content to see if the potential scam has any of these red flags.

1. Text-message scams: ‘Your UPS package is being held at yada yada location, please click this link to verify the shipping address’ Yeah, nice try. When in doubt, assume a text message from a stranger is a scam. Never click on links from these messages. If you believe it is a legitimate request for information, go directly to the businesses’ website to verify and check account status.

2. Romance scams: This type of scam has been around for awhile. It usually starts as a fake social media account or when a ‘wrong number’ reaches out with a seemingly innocent ‘hello.’ What starts as an innocent introduction evolves into emotional manipulation. These scammers are experts at tugging at your heartstrings- they do this all day every day. They are very good at ‘getting to know you’ and using your desires against you. Eventually they are asking for money through the following tactics: 1) a heartbreaking medical emergency 2) they sent you a valuable package that requires a release fee (surprise, the package never arrives) 3) Urgent needs such as my kid has been kidnapped in Somalia 4) Crypto or other investments that ‘can’t miss.’ Please always be skeptical about who you are talking to on the internet. There are fake accounts everywhere with somebody on the other end trying to part you from your money. Avoid these scams by not engaging with ‘wrong number’ conversations and assuming anybody you’ve only met online is a fake account- especially if they’re asking you for money.

3. AI-enhanced crypto and investment scams: Scammers have used AI to create convincing investment platforms and Crypto schemes. Always verify investment platforms through official financial institutions. The SEC of FINRA should have information on any legitimate investment platform. Always be skeptical of any ‘guaranteed returns’ or seemingly high returns- Bernie Madoff returned upwards of 12% annually to his investors, even in down markets, until it was revealed he was operating a ponzi scheme.

4. Financial Relief and Government assistance scams: scammers aren’t dumb- they know how to use people’s financial stress against them. When people are stressed or desperate, they’re more likely to make bad and/or emotional decisions. These ‘tarrif-relief, bogus health insurance, fake relief checks’ scams ask you to divulge personal information under the guise of ‘verifying eligibility’ for relief. ‘unclaimed funds’ messages are almost always fraudulent- but if you believe you may be entitled to assistance, always check the government website (which ends in .gov) for yourself.

5. Fake shopping sites/Delivery scams: Bogus online stores lure victims in with ‘deep discounts.’ If you see a great deal, verify it yourself by going straight to the website of the retailer. ‘Delivery problems’ want you to click on a malicious link. Avoid these scams by using the retailer’s official website to track packages.

All of these scams rely on urgency. The scammer wants you to act quickly because they know you’re more likely to comply (your brain won’t be as logical under duress) if there is some sense of urgency. If asked for money and it is time sensitive, as counterintuitive as it may seem, you should take a step back from the situation. Call somebody you love and trust and walk them through what is happening- more often than not they will be able to give you objective advice about whether or not it is a scam. Let me say this again because it bears repeating: almost all scams rely on creating a sense of urgency. Your Spidey senses should begin to tingle when this happens to you.

The bottom line is that you need to take care of yourself when engaging with strangers on the internet. Always be skeptical when large sums of money are at stake. If you believe somebody you know is being taken advantage of (especially a Romance scam as these can take place over several weeks/months so you might have time to intervene), please educate them about the risks of placing trust in strangers on the internet. If it is suspected that you or your loved ones are being scammed, you should report the situation to your local authorities or the FBI.

Adam Gruber CFP®

Money is Freedom. (or is it?) Frederik Gieschen of Frederick Journals

An excerpt from the article – ‘We know that making money is not the purpose of life. Of course, money won’t fill our inner void. But what will? A thorny question (and potential dark night of the soul). If you are very good at making money, if it feels satisfying, it is easier to keep doing that than to stop and step into the unknown.’

The hedonic treadmill – wanting more and more and then once you get there, you want even more. You’re never satisfied. On the one hand, this work ethic can lead people to attain great heights. But on the other hand, they might look back at the end of life and ask what it was all for. Finding a middle ground, while difficult, is what we should all strive for in life.
Article Link

Creating a Realistic Budget

But what kind of expedient is the greater distinction that he seeks with pleasure. The times are more severe than the pains themselves, but the pleasure is free. It’s a pain in the times of truth to do who seeks or

Review your discretionary spending and look for areas where you can cut back. Small changes, like reducing dining out or canceling unused subscriptions, can add up over time.

An emergency fund is your safety net. Aim to save at least three to six months’ worth of living expenses in case of unexpected events like medical bills or job loss.
Whether you work in marketing, sales, or product design, you understand the importance of a quality landing page. Landing pages are standalone websites used to generate leads or sales—in other words they help you increase your revenue. Unlike typical web pages, landing pages only have one call to action, or CTA, and they are usually tied to a specific marketing or advertising campaign. The hyper-focused nature of landing pages means they come with a pretty standard set of best practices.
What makes an easy-to-use landing page? Overall it’s clear, concise, and doesn’t give users any options except for the main CTA.In terms of copy, your landing page should have one clear message. The header of your page should promote the desired action you want visitors to take. And additionally it should explain the benefits of performing this action.
The visual design of your page should be very simple. Unlike your front page, this is not the place to go crazy with brand personality—so no wild animations or complex design elements. You wouldn’t want to distract visitors from performing the main action of your page.
Landing page CTA’s are typically buttons, sometimes accompanied by an input field if you need to collect user information. To ensure your buttons are clicked, make sure they stand out visually. This can be done with contrasting the button color with your page background and clear copy on the button itself. For example, if you are asking visitors to book a demo, write“Book a demo” clearly on the CTA button.