Richard Ericson |
December 9, 2013 |
Annuity Basics, Annuity Bonuses, Annuity Caps, Fixed Annuities, Income Riders, Index Annuities, Member Posts
Which equity indexed annuity is the best? Which annuity is the best for you? Often individuals become overwhelmed by the amount of choices available when learning about, and selecting the best annuity for their purpose. I believe those who are over 50 should have a majority of their retirement assets in safe, protected and guaranteed retirement planning vehicles. The key investment piece is the Equity Index Annuity. Equity Index Annuities may be referred to as fixed index, index, or hybrid. Equity index annuities are NOT...
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Todd D. Heckman |
December 4, 2013 |
Deferred Annuities, Long Term Care, Longevity Annuities, Member Posts, Todd Heckman
The number of older Americans age 65 and older living in the United States by the year 2020 is projected to be 54 million. This is an increase of 54 percent from year 2000’s population of 35 million. It is no secret that the growth in older persons, members of the “Baby Boomer” generation (born 1946-1964), will place a greater demand on health care services than any other generation before and probably afterwards. This includes the need for care provided in the home or a...
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Howard Hafetz |
December 3, 2013 |
Fixed Annuities, Howard Hafetz, Income Riders, Index Annuities, Member Posts
In regard to “GUARANTEED INCOME RIDERS”*, the explanations of how they work fall into the “Goldilocks Syndrome”. In some cases, not nearly enough information, in others, much too much! Some authors feel the need to explain “actuarial reasoning”, others, do what typically inexperienced advisors do, “tell clients what they want to hear”. Too hot, too cold….. not “just right”! I am going to try to do just that, tell it like “Goldilocks” would! The reason these riders were created was to enable clients to have...
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Stan The Annuity Man |
November 21, 2013 |
Ask Stan The Annuity Man, Fixed Annuities, Immediate Annuities, Index Annuities, Member Posts
Question: I need to supplement my income stream right now and have been shown an immediate annuity by one agent and an indexed annuity by another agent. The products seem very different. Which is the best one to buy? Ernie from Billings, Montana Answer: Thanks for the question Ernie. Immediate annuities (i.e. Single Premium Immediate Annuities) and indexed annuities are drastically different strategies, so I’m a little surprised that you were shown both for income needed to start right now. Since that is what you...
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Anton Hendler |
November 18, 2013 |
Annual Reset, Annuity Caps, Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities, Member Posts, Participation Rate
For those of you who are clients of ours, you will know that one of our primary retirement strategies is the use of the right combination of annuities including Fixed Index Annuities (FIAs). Fixed Index Annuities (FIAs) are annuities which are tied to the stock-market via one or a combination of indexes such as the S&P 500. This allows owners of these annuity policies to share in any upside growth BUT at the same time, investors are shielded from any downside risk. The most important...
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John L. Olsen |
November 18, 2013 |
Annuity Basics, Annuity Definition, Deferred Annuities, Fixed Annuities, Immediate Annuities, Index Annuities, John L. Olsen, Member Posts, Variable Annuities
If you’re like most people, you find the subject of annuities confusing. Just the terminology would befuddle anyone – “exclusion ratio”, “annuitization”, “indexed”, “cap rate”, “participation rate”, etc. As if that weren’t enough, the terms are not applied uniformly. Some writers about annuities refer to the kind that produces an income immediately after purchase as an “immediate annuity”; others call it a “payout annuity”. “Equity index annuity” and “fixed indexed annuity” are used almost interchangeably to refer to the same type of contract. And some...
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Stan The Annuity Man |
November 14, 2013 |
Annuity Basics, Annuity Bonuses, Ask Stan The Annuity Man, Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities, Member Posts
Question: Every agent I meet with is pushing a bonus as the main reason to buy the indexed annuity they are recommending. They make it sound like it’s free money, but I’m skeptical. What’s the truth about these upfront bonuses? Robert from Muncie, Indiana Answer: Phenomenal question Robert, and so important in the current over hyped annuity environment and the unregulated wild wild west of annuity internet promoters. Upfront bonuses really became popular around 5 years ago as an obvious way for insurance companies to...
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Carl Ostenson |
November 11, 2013 |
Carl Ostenson, Fixed Annuities, Member Posts, MYGA
The “Plain Jane” vanilla ice cream in the annuity world is called a Fixed Rate Annuity…also known as MYGA (Multi Year Guarantee Annuity). She’s really pretty boring….you agree to deposit money at an insurance company for a certain period of years, 2-10+ year contracts are all available. In return, the insurance company agrees to keep your money safe and pay you a fixed rate of interest for that term. At the end of the term, you can take your money and do something else with...
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Stan The Annuity Man |
October 24, 2013 |
Annuity Basics, Annuity Definition, Ask Stan The Annuity Man, Fixed Annuities, Member Posts, MYGA
Question: I’ve been trying to do some research on fixed rate products, and want to know the difference between a Traditional Fixed Annuity and a MYGA annuity. What is the difference, if any? from Robert in Chicago, Illinois Answer: Good question Robert, and yes there are distinct differences between Traditional Fixed Annuities and MYGA (Multi Year Guarantee Annuities) annuities or sometimes called fixed rate annuities. Let take a closer look at both from an excerpt from my book, The Annuity Stanifesto. Traditional Fixed Annuity Traditional...
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