Episode #9

Bryan Anderson, founder of Annuity Straight Talk, speaks with Ashok Ramji, a financial consultant with TOP Planning LLC, an independent asset protection and retirement income planning firm serving retirees and pre-retirees alike. In this episode, our hosts introduce the AST FLEX Strategy, presenting it as an alternative to traditional annuities.

Bryan and Ashok start the podcast by enumerating the different benefits of the AST FLEX Strategy, drawing points from a newsletter that Bryan wrote back in April 2019. They both share stories about their clients to better explain certain concepts.

Bryan then uses a spreadsheet to illustrate how the AST FLEX Strategy works, aligning it with the 5 keys of retirement and stacking it up against volatilities in the stock market. Ashok also weighs in with his takeaways from that case study. Catch the stream on Youtube to see the breakdown of the numbers!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• [02:40] The pros and cons of guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit riders
• [04:07] How Bryan came up with the AST FLEX Strategy
• [07:48] There are no fees on the annuity
• [11:25] Uncertainties are only short-term
• [12:35] It has a flexible starting date
• [15:10] About changing income needs
• [18:28] The AST FLEX Strategy has a lower cost and eventually leads to greater wealth accumulation
• [22:25]  On deferred annuities and sequence-of-returns risks
• [27:35] Bryan’s case study

Key quotes:

• “People buy annuities to secure lifetime income because the market is unpredictable.” ~Bryan
• “Why not have an annuity set aside for the years when the market loses value?” ~Bryan
• “People look at annuities for safe accumulation…and if it’s not needed for income, have the lowest costs and the greatest possible upside.” ~Ashok
• “Let’s have a diversity for products that are actually fitting into the FLEX Strategy.” ~Ashok

Call Annuity Straight Talk at 800-438-5121 or schedule a call at AnnuityStraightTalk.com