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Income Riders

The Importance of a Solid Plan for Income During Retirement

Brian Jones

For most of us, it’s very important to have an income or some type of cash flow during retirement, especially if you want to enjoy your retirement years. But how do you plan for this income and where does it come from? For most of us, Social Security is the first source that comes to mind. Yes, I do believe Social Security will be around in some form or fashion for most of us as one of our retirement income sources. If you are one...

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6 Things to Consider When Buying an Annuity

Bryan Bentley

So, you are considering purchasing an annuity to help protect your retirement savings or to solve a concern that may not be easily addressed with other investment vehicles. Here are a few things to consider when making a decision about buying an annuity. 1. Surrender Charge Period Expressed in terms of years, the surrender charge defines how long your money must remain in the annuity before you have unrestricted access to it. With most annuities, a portion of your money is available penalty-free during the...

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How to Get the Most Income Out of an Annuity

Tim Fitzwilliams

As a consumer planning for the future, it’s important to understand what an annuity is, how it works, and how much income you’ll receive for the rest of your life. An annuity is a vehicle that is designed to provide income for the rest of your life. The three most common types of annuities used when planning an income include: fixed, variable and indexed. To keep things very simple: Fixed = A set interest rate. Variable = Based on the stock market and has market...

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When is the Right Time to Buy an Annuity?

Randy Floyd

This is a question I get asked a lot in my practice. However, this question is asked for many different reasons. There are several issues this question refers to, and each of them should be answered specifically in accordance with their real, underlying question. At what age should I purchase an annuity? This is a broad question, and will be answered in more detail as we work through some of the others. Generally speaking, most people under the age of 40 should not purchase an...

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Variable & Hybrid Annuities – Are They Good or Bad?

Jeff Juniper

Annuities have been around for almost 2000 years and the public’s understanding of how they work is at an all-time low. “I Hate Annuities and So Should You” is what one investment firm says in their full page ads from coast to coast. Why do they spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on those ads? The answer is to attract attention because there is so much confusion about how these products work. What they don’t tell you in those ads is that there are good...

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How to Never Lose Your Money: A Guide to Fixed Indexed Annuities

Barbara Halperin

Believe it or not, Tony Robbins, motivational guru, has joined the ranks of advisors offering fixed indexed annuities to the American public. He realizes that people in the United States today find value in the benefits that a fixed indexed annuity provides. What other investment can protect you from market risk while simultaneously producing tremendous streams of income guaranteed to last you for life, and also the lifetime of your spouse? There is no other product offered today that can do what a fixed indexed...

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Five Common Annuity Misconceptions

Mark Goldfinger

More misconceptions and myths swirl around annuities than any other financial product. Some of the confusion may be due to the fact that annuities have greatly improved over the past 10 years, offering more options and benefits than ever before. One of the most flexible types of annuities is a fixed indexed annuity (FIA). An FIA is a financial product sold by insurance companies. The insurance company guarantees to protect your principal and give you the potential for growth linked to an index, such as...

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Four Good Reasons to Buy an Annuity Now

Jerry Rubin

A first-class fixed indexed annuity puts you in position to collect a pension-like income, guaranteed to continue for as long as you and your spouse are alive. These annuities allow you to profit from the stock and commodities markets with no risk. This type of annuity simply uses financial market indexes, like the S&P 500, as outside reference points to determine your interest. Whenever the market (index) goes up, you make money; whenever it goes down, since your money is never invested or at risk...

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The Five Steps to Making Investment Decisions

Mel Brandon

Which came first? Throughout the ages, the question of the chicken or the egg has led to many discussions and even more questions. This article is not about chickens or eggs, but it is about the order that we should think about financial matters. On first introduction, we are often asked, “What do you think of a specific investment, insurance product, or style of investing?” There is only one correct answer to this type of question: “It depends.” The intent is not to be vague...

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Rebuttal to ‘Don’t Buy Index Annuity Article’ on AARP

Brent Welch

In the May 2014 AARP magazine, Allan Roth set the tone for his article “Don’t Buy It”with a picture of Leonardo DiCaprio, star of the movie The Wolf of Wall Street. In the film, DiCaprio plays a dishonest, immoral and unethical investment banker. This “Wolf of Wall Street” ended up in prison for the rest of his life, convicted of felony charges, racketeering, extortion, and stealing money from the general public. He was a wicked and completely dishonest criminal, much like Bernie Madoff. Roth suggested...

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