It’s a common misconception that truly comes from an uneducated place.  You’ll often hear, “annuities would be fine if not for the hidden fees.”  In almost every case that is nothing more than a scare tactic because all but one annuity that I’ve seen has the fees clearly disclosed up front.  There is a reason […]

This started just one year ago.  A standard case came across my desk and I showed one couple how my approach might give them more control over retirement assets.  They had been to a seminar and got the usual pitch.  Being a few years from retirement they had already decided to protect some assets and […]

It’s time for me to pick on a couple different products that have proved to not be worth the hype.  About once a month, on average, I get an email touting the incredible opportunity of some new contract or index.  I look at all of them just to see if the claim merits me adding […]

I’ve never been too successful talking about interest rates.  Most people have a pretty light appetite for fundamentals which unfortunately leads to the majority settling for something less than the best deal available.  So I’m going to give a simple example of how recent conditions have changed annuities in a way that will underscore my […]

One year ago I wrote a quick story about Bill.  We had been working together for about a year after he called asking for help with a retirement plan.  Initially he was looking for guaranteed income and came with a long list of requests in regards to benefits and company rating.  I came back to […]

Take a look at the chart below and you’ll see the values of the S&P 500 since 1996.  This was recently released from JP Morgan and I grabbed a screenshot in order to point out a few things.  It maps out the high and low points or extreme volatility of probably the second best market […]

Most people don’t want to get too technical but those who do are able to make much better decisions.  My best clients often take as much as a year to make a decision and as a result they are all comfortable and happy with how things are working out.  I don’t expect deep analysis from […]

At a time when everyone is looking for a little something to keep busy, my wife would say that personal health and wellness should be a priority.  She is the most diligent, dedicated and disciplined person I know.  When the local gym closed down two weeks ago, she couldn’t teach her popular fitness class so […]

When I started this website it was all about fixed annuities.  A good fixed rate will solve any problem in retirement and beat the projections of every long-term guarantee.  Running the numbers and learning how to analyze solutions provided the inspiration to start spreading my message.  Unfortunately it wasn’t long before rates started dropping.  Multi-year […]

There must be some value in all the things I’ve written about on this website.  After all, I live in the world you are trying to figure out.  My job is meant to help people plan for times like these.  Loyal readers have heard it a hundred times and clients/friends know exactly what I’m talking […]