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 […]

Everybody wants it.  Salesmen promise it without regard to reality and I always say it’s possible but don’t expect it consistently.  Honestly I’ve seen it happen several times and the likelihood depends a lot on crediting methods or the index tracked, not to mention a pretty hot stock market. This is not the highest I’ve […]

This year started just like the last ended.  The stock market continued to climb early in January and the prospect of the bull market reaching new highs in 2020 was a real possibility.  I’ve talked to several people who had a lot of fun watching assets grow substantially during the second half of 2019.  What […]

Last year at about this time I got a call from Roger and it inspired me to make his situation the subject of a newsletter.  A few years prior he had put a plan into place based on advice from a CFP and had started to question the plan.  He found this website and wanted […]

Annuities barely get a passing thought when the market approaches record returns.  Short-term exuberance is addictive and very few people can remove emotion from investment decisions.  Well 2019 was a year that paid off for everyone who stuck with it.  Trade tensions have eased and the economy seems to keep growing steadily so it may […]

There are all sorts of good things a person can do with annuities.  Some annuities work better than others, depending on your goals.  But there really is only one BEST way to use annuities that will help solve nearly all the problems in retirement.  I’m not trying to convince everyone to like the products.  Each […]

Gains in the stock market are great but losses create stress. It’s high times on Wall Street right now and any painful experiences of the past are distant memories for most people. Even so, volatility is the top concern for a majority of people who are exploring the possibility of using annuities in retirement. Most […]

I talk a lot about how my strategies are different so this week I’m going to show you a real-life example.  Not all recommendations were my idea in the beginning.  I learn as much from my clients as they learn from me.  As cheesy as it may sound, teamwork is the key to financial success […]