Brent Welch |
August 21, 2014 |
Annual Reset, Annuity Bonuses, Annuity Caps, Annuity Fees, Deferred Annuities, Income Riders, Index Annuities, Participation Rate
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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Keith L. Collins |
August 11, 2014 |
Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities
Fixed indexed annuities (FIAs) are a valuable tool for retirement savings. They provide peace of mind by offering guarantees and safety of the principal amount. What’s more, they offer growth opportunity to help retirement savings keep up with the pace of inflation. FIAs are distinct from other types of annuities in that the crediting methods differ. Regular fixed annuities credit interest at a rate that is linked to the T-bills rate. Fixed indexed annuities, on the other hand, credit interest using formulas based on changes...
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Kelly Shaw |
July 21, 2014 |
Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities, Retirement Planning
I’ve been a financial advisor for over 22 years, and one thing I’ve learned is that when most clients approach retirement, they consider themselves conservative investors. Yet in 22 years of examining retired clients’ asset mixes, I find that most are actually allocated more toward a moderately aggressive mix. Why is there such a discrepancy between what they want and what they have? The reason is that most of them don’t have a very clear picture of what retirement looks like to them – what...
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Rick Hughes |
July 18, 2014 |
Annuity Basics, Deferred Annuities, Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities
What if you could have an investment that you knew you could not lose? Would this get you excited, or would you be thinking, “This is too good to be true”? I want you to imagine you and a friend are going to Las Vegas. This does not mean you are a gambler, but let’s pretend for a moment that you are sitting in Caesars Palace at the roulette table. The dealer tells you that you are in luck; he is going to let you...
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Richard Ericson |
July 2, 2014 |
Annuity Basics, Annuity Caps, Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities
When I coached college football years ago, the young players often wanted to stand out, to be different and unique, and have some sort of distinction from the other players. Some would wear their uniforms differently, with multicolored socks or flashy undershirts. Some would do crazy things with their hair, like shave it off, grow an extra-long beard, or let their really long hair flow out of their helmet. Although any one of these features would get a player noticed, my coaching experience taught me...
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John CasaSanta |
June 27, 2014 |
Annuity Basics, Fixed Annuities, Immediate Annuities, Index Annuities, Variable Annuities
We often hear the expression that an educated consumer is the best consumer. I believe this holds true, whether someone is purchasing an appliance or an annuity. When visiting a client for the first time, after a discussion of goals and objectives, I like to explain the four types of annuities. Immediate Annuity – This is similar to a personal pension and the most traditional form of an annuity. When you implement an immediate annuity, you will receive a set amount of money for a...
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Ron Tetley |
June 19, 2014 |
Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities
The answer you receive to this question will depend on the person you ask. I’m of the mindset that if it works for my client, I like it. If it doesn’t work for my client, I don’t like it. First, we need to understand that every investment in the world is designed with a specific goal in mind. Let me give you an analogy to help it sink in. Automobiles are all made with a specific intended use. If you needed to haul 15 people...
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Anton Hendler |
May 28, 2014 |
Income Riders, Index Annuities
As with so many annuity and other retirement decisions the answer is, “that depends”! This is not a ‘cop out’ on our part. It depends on where you are relative to retirement, where your funds are currently invested and what your plans are going forward. There are many rider options within Fixed Index Annuities (FIAs) and most of these carry an additional fee. So before you jump into one of these options you need to answer this question “do I need this?” The Income rider...
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Keith L. Collins |
May 13, 2014 |
Deferred Annuities, Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities
A survey by Financial Research Corporation showed that more than 36% of investors ask about the guarantees of Fixed Income Annuities. It is a fact that the collapse of several high profile corporations in the previous decade has severely shaken investors’ confidence over financial market investments. Most investors are now concerned about the safety of their investments. Fixed Indexed Annuities (FIAs) can be a great answer to a lot of worries of conservative investors. They offer protection from market volatility, interest rate, and inflation risks....
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Richard Ericson |
May 7, 2014 |
Annuity Caps, Index Annuities
Who knew that Dr. Seuss gave great investing advice, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Another common question I am asked regarding indexed annuities is, “What is an Annuity Cap?” First of all, your Annuity Cap is in relation to your contract value. Traditionally with indexed annuities the Index Cap is the maximum annual percentage number over the beginning of year index number that may be credited to you. In...
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