Variable Annuities (VAs) constitute 60% or more of annuity sales annually.  This surprises me simply because most negative information about annuities in general is based on the structure of variable annuities.  To me it doesn’t make sense that 60% of people in or near retirement would want the associated complexity and cost.  Be that as […]

This week I am happy to introduce the culmination of a side project. It has taken nearly two months to get off the ground but will be a mainstay on this website for years to come.  The Annuity Straight Talk podcast will give everyone another option for consuming the information that will lead to sound […]

I ran into a standard example last week when Sharon scheduled an appointment and asked for me to review an annuity proposal she had received.  Without naming names I’ll say that the proposal came from a large national firm that advertises aggressively for index annuity sales.  I know well how the company works and have […]

Last week I tried to explain to everyone how rate adjustments work within an index annuity contract.  It’s an objective matter that offers little insight as to the structure but there is plenty of room allowed for the inquisitive mind to make a rational decision.  Even still, there are those who feel as though the […]

Safety and protection is the primary objective of using annuities.  Each type of annuity was created to protect your assets from at least one major risk in retirement.  Variable annuities let you invest in the market but protect you from taxes with non-qualified assets.  Fixed and fixed index annuities protect you from violent changes in […]

This is just a little something that may help those who have one of the biggest index annuity objections.  Many don’t like the fact that interest rates, meaning cap and participation rates in contracts can change from year to year.  Never mind the economics that explain option pricing, popular thought suggests that insurance companies are […]

Late last week someone emailed to ask for my take on an article about indexed annuities from John, the Vice President of Research at Morningstar.  Given the writer’s experience with financial markets, I was curious to see whether he’d give annuities a fair assessment.  But it turns out that he doesn’t know a whole lot […]

Well it turns out that there is something of a fourth installment of my series that I was supposed to have finished last week.  I’ve told enough stories and you all are probably tired of it.  Let’s add some numbers so I can show you how my learning, evolution and solutions stack up to a […]

Like I said last week, it was all fixed annuities for me in the beginning.  It may sound boring but if those same rates were available today then I’d spend every hour of the day completing applications.  The pain from a market correction in 2001 was real and several people understood the value of asset […]

Before we look forward to all the things that may change this year let’s get our bearings and review the past year.  You’ve all heard me say over and over that perspective is important and that’s never truer than when we may be facing a dramatically different financial environment.  2020 was an interesting year to […]