Yesterday afternoon, Lakewood real estate developer Eliyahu Weinstein was charged with “masterminding” a $200 million scam to defraud investors, starting in September 2005. Along with Vladimir Siforov, Weinstein target Orthodox Jews in his community, “exploiting social and business customs.” And while theirs is not a business model you probably want to aspire to, there is at least one helpful thing to take away from the charges. Specifically, the ones cited in court documents vis-à-vis how Weinstein dealt with investors who wanted their money back. Even if you’re not running a scam, you probably still have to deal with the headache of clients getting all pissy when you have a down month or two, and when that happens, perhaps consider the following approach. Continue reading »