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Income Riders

Income, Growth or Both?

Income, Growth or Both?

Written By: Allen Trimble in San Antonio, TX Annuities are often touted by insurance agents as the “be all, end all” investment. Want to grow your money? Great! You can invest in the stock and bond markets or even various alternative asset classes, through variable annuities, if you are willing to take risks for higher potential growth. Don’t want to risk losing money in the markets, but not happy with CD rates? No problem. You can generally earn higher interest in a fixed-rate annuity, plus...

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Income Riders Are Great if You Understand Them and Their Purpose

Income Riders Are Great if You Understand Them and Their Purpose

Written By: Richard E. Navarra in Wexford, PA There is much excitement over income riders attached to fixed indexed annuities, and it is for good reason when understood and used for the proper situations.  The problem is consumers of annuities are confusing the accumulation of the income rider with the actual accumulation value within the annuity.  The accumulation value grows as a result of the annuity’s increase based on the increase of the indices the annuity is tied to after applying contractual caps, participation rates,...

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Upgrade an Older Annuity with a 1035 Exchange

Carl Ostenson

Is it possible to upgrade your older annuity into a new one that has more benefits? The short answer is, YES. But the real answer is that it depends, and you need to do a little homework to be sure you are making your situation better, not worse. First let’s go through some common reasons why people might want to switch from one annuity to another. 1)  Fees: This would apply mainly to Variable Annuities. The total fees can range from 2% to over 5%...

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3 Things To Look Out For When Buying An Indexed Annuity With An Income Rider

Carl Ostenson

Are you thinking about rolling some of your IRA or 401k into an Indexed Annuity with an Income Rider? Billions of dollars are going into these plans because they are a safe and flexible way to build your own personal pension to help supplement your Social Security in retirement. However, there are a few sticking points that need to be addressed. 1. Roll up rates are not really your money You may see advertisements saying “Earn 7% for future income” or “Earn 7% guaranteed” or...

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