Keith L. Collins |
March 11, 2014 |
Annuity Fees, Fixed Annuities, Income Riders, Index Annuities
A Fixed Indexed Annuity (FIA) is a retirement savings tool that complements other pension plans like 401(k)s, social security benefits, and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Many insurance and indexed annuity companies that offer FIAs have come up with an annuity product feature that offers guaranteed lifetime payments to your account. This feature is called a Guaranteed Lifetime Income Rider (GLIR). Once you procure this annuity, you can receive guaranteed regular monthly income for the rest of your life. What is a Guaranteed Lifetime Income Rider?...
View Article
Anton Hendler |
February 22, 2014 |
Annuity Basics, Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, so the saying goes. So it is that with an article of this nature, it depends on who is writing it and that persons perspective as no two people will share the same opinion. So let us nail our colors firmly to the mast, so to speak, and share with you that we promote Fixed Index Annuities (FIAs) to our clients and are firm believers in their place in any Retirement strategy. Now that we have our...
View Article
Laura Johnson |
February 21, 2014 |
Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities
According to The Index Compendium, Jan 2014, “Although a few annuities ended the year crediting 5% to 6 % interest – and a couple product methods credited over 20% – the reality is most Index Annuities purchased December 2012 credited 2% to 3% in December 2013.” So why the huge discrepancy in credits? Jack Marrion, editor of Index Compendium, believes it is simply that the low bond yields a year ago did not allow carriers to buy much upside with their index link. But the...
View Article
Stan The Annuity Man |
February 20, 2014 |
Deferred Annuities, Fixed Annuities, Inflation, Longevity Annuities, SPIA
Question: Inflation is something that worries me going forward. Can fixed annuities actually account for inflation? Is that possible? Eddie M. from Casper, Wyoming Answer: Great question Eddie, and I agree with you that the real possibility of future inflation is the financial gorilla in the room. I think everyone is concerned about it. Let me start by saying there is not an annuity on the planet that is the perfect solution to combat inflation, and no strategy anywhere can address hyperinflation. However, income annuities...
View Article
Jennifer Calandra |
February 17, 2014 |
Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities
Annuities, by far, are the most misunderstood and in some cases, misused, financial vehicles in the marketplace. Planning for retirement can be an extremely daunting task and when you add in the confusion of what products to use, who to trust, how to invest…some people choose to do nothing. I want to take a moment to put to rest some concerns as well as provide clarity around the use of Fixed Index Annuities (FIA). Once you become familiar and comfortable with their proper use, reality...
View Article
Laura Johnson |
February 13, 2014 |
Annuity Caps, Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities, Participation Rate
The idea of having a savings vehicle that can take advantage of the market upside while protecting your money from market downside sounds extremely promising. This is the usual description of a Fixed Index Annuity. But how do you choose which Fixed Index Annuity? Annuities have now many different options built into them and it make them harder to compare. To answer that question accurately, you first need to ask “What is the primary purpose of the money?” For example, many of my clients are...
View Article
Keith L. Collins |
February 11, 2014 |
Annuity Basics, Fixed Annuities, GMDB, Index Annuities, Surrender Charges
With a multitude of factors involved, indexed-annuity products can be rather complex for many people. While many specialists offer great advice, they rarely tell them about the pitfalls they can face with indexed-annuity products. That is why I intend to educate you with information about the top 5 pitfalls you may face when selecting indexed-annuity products. 1 – Investing in a Single Index As the name suggests, indexed annuity products allow you to link your account to a particular index. More often than not, many...
View Article
Anton Hendler |
February 4, 2014 |
Annual Reset, Annuity Basics, Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities
Of all the features of a Fixed Index Annuity (FIA), arguably the one with the greatest value is the annual reset. What this means is that every year on the anniversary of the policy, any gains in the market (based on the strategy which you have chosen and an index such as the S&P 500) will be credited to your policy and then ‘locked in’. So if the market goes down in the next year, not only will you not go down (you will stay...
View Article
Keith L. Collins |
February 3, 2014 |
Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities, Surrender Charges, Withdrawal Charges
Offering long term benefits that ensure you have a steady flow of income, indexed annuity products can be the difference, for some, between a relaxing and a stressful life. With a multitude of indexed annuity products available today, we understand that it can be difficult making the right choice. With plenty of numbers, calculations and clauses, selecting a product is rarely a simple task. However, we hope to make it simpler by offering a breakdown of the top 10 factors existent in almost any indexed...
View Article
Anton Hendler |
January 27, 2014 |
Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities
Much has been written about FIAs (Fixed Index Annuities) but the point we would like to make in this article is that an annuity is, at the end of the day, an insurance product and one should look at it as insurance on your retirement. Because there is no down-side risk, the insurance company guarantees your investment but, not only that, in the case of a FIA, the company will allow you to share in the market growth subject to certain limitations. As with any...
View Article