(MONEY Magazine) – A Cedar Rapids, Iowa jury has found that Charles J. Givens Jr., the flamboyant financial guru and author of the Simon & Schuster bestsellers Wealth Without Risk and More Wealth Without Risk, made 25 fraudulent misrepresentations. (MONEY had cautioned its readers about some of Givens' advice as early as 1986.) The court case: Sally and Ron Beadle of Cedar Rapids attended a Givens Organization seminar in July 1989, then acted on two pieces of advice they claimed they had heard there and had also read in Wealth Without Risk. They amended their auto insurance, eliminating coverage for injuries caused by uninsured drivers, and dropped Ron's $50,000 universal life policy too. Because of Givens' advice, the Beadles were convinced the insurance -- which together cost $418 a year -- was a waste of money. But 10 months later, Ron, then 28, was killed in a head-on crash with an uninsured motorist. Without the uninsured-motorist and life insurance, Sally, also 28, and her three children were deprived of payouts totaling more than $150,000. Givens counters that the Beadles didn't follow his advice about buying term insurance before dumping their universal life. The Iowa jury decided that Givens, 52, and his son Charles III, who conducted the Beadles' seminar, knowingly gave bad advice. Another trial will determine how much Givens must pay Sally Beadle in damages. Beadle's lawyer is seeking more than $1 million. Despite the verdict, a Givens representative told MONEY that Givens will keep giving his seminars and airing infomercials. His next book, SuperSelf: Doubling Your Personal Effectiveness, comes out in November (also from Simon & Schuster). Caveat emptor.