Rob Brinkman |
August 23, 2013 |
Annuity Videos, Index Annuities, Member Posts, Rob Brinkman
Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve is clearly pointing to higher interest rates in the future. Probably not a surprise as he would have trouble taking interest rates any lower than they have been for the last few years. Quantitative easing is coming to an end and now the conservative investor, who has traditionally relied on bonds as a safe money alternative, faces a quandary. How to safely make money in a rising interest rate environment? This educational video explains (in a very detailed, yet...
View Article
Stan The Annuity Man |
August 22, 2013 |
Ask Stan The Annuity Man, Deferred Annuities, Income Riders, Index Annuities, Member Posts, Variable Annuities
Question: Is there a way to buy an income rider without having to buy an annuity? from Steve in Houston, TX Answer: This is one of the most forward thinking and insightful questions I’ve ever received. You Steve, are a visionary my friend. Currently, there are a select few companies working on income riders that are “non-annuity”, with more coming in the near future in my opinion. People want guarantees and benefits that annuities provide, but in many cases, they don’t want to tie their...
View Article
John L. Olsen |
August 16, 2013 |
GLWB Rider, Index Annuities, John L. Olsen, Member Posts, Variable Annuities
“Lifetime withdrawal benefits” are very popular these days; most of the indexed or variable deferred annuities sold today are bought by consumers who paid extra for this “rider”. Regrettably, all too many of those buyers believe that, for that extra cost, they will earn a guaranteed “investment return equal to the “rollup rate” of the annuity. They won’t. They will get a guaranteed amount of income, but that’s not the same thing. Let’s define our terms. A “Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Rider” (usually abbreviated as GLWB)...
View Article
Stan The Annuity Man |
August 15, 2013 |
Ask Stan The Annuity Man, Deferred Annuities, Fixed Annuities, Immediate Annuities, Index Annuities, Member Posts, Variable Annuities
Question: Who regulates and oversee annuities? Is it at the state level or at the federal level? Bart from Santa Barbara, California Answer: Great question Bart, but as usual with annuities, the answer is a little complex. Annuities are regulated at the state level, and each state has a guarantee fund that backs up policies to a certain dollar amount. To find out the specific levels for your state, go to www.nolhga.com. There’s no uniformity in coverage, and every state has different dollar protection limitations. ...
View Article
Stan The Annuity Man |
August 7, 2013 |
Annuities in IRAs, Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities, Member Posts
By Marvin Hurwitz in Baltimore, MD Ever since I started as a financial services and retirement advisor in the early 1980s, I have read numerous reports and heard from many so-called experts and financial planners that tax-deferred annuities should not be the source of funding IRA accounts. The reason for not using annuities in IRAs is that vehicles such as annuities and tax-free bonds are already tax-advantaged. So why take an investment that is either free of taxes (municipal bonds) or tax-deferred (annuities) and use...
View Article
Stan The Annuity Man |
July 31, 2013 |
Allen Trimble, Fixed Annuities, Income Riders, Index Annuities, Member Posts, Variable Annuities
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...
View Article
Stan The Annuity Man |
July 25, 2013 |
Ask Stan The Annuity Man, Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities, Member Posts, Variable Annuities
Question: Should I consider an annuity for pure market growth? Can I get all of the upside with no downside like I hear on local radio ads? Mary from San Diego, CA. Answer: Mary, this is a home run when it comes to questions! A common myth that is promoted by too many annuity agents is that annuities are growth products. Let me say, unequivocally, that they are not! Annuities should never be considered for pure market growth. By the way, most agents will violently...
View Article
John L. Olsen |
July 22, 2013 |
Deferred Annuities, Fixed Annuities, Immediate Annuities, Index Annuities, John L. Olsen, Member Posts
One of the difficulties in working with annuities is the persistent mythology connected with them. Much of the “conventional wisdom” regarding these contracts is not “wise” at all, but is often mistaken, confused, or downright wrong. Here are five of my favorite “myths”: 1) “Annuities are…” Any sentence that starts this way will be misleading at best. Why? Because all annuities are not the same. Indeed, a true statement about deferred annuities is likely to be partly or wholly untrue when applied to immediate annuities,...
View Article
Stan The Annuity Man |
July 18, 2013 |
Annuity Fees, Ask Stan The Annuity Man, Deferred Annuities, Fixed Annuities, Immediate Annuities, Index Annuities, Longevity Annuities, Member Posts, SPIA, Surrender Charges, Variable Annuities
Question: Can I buy annuities with no fees or surrender charges? Are there no load annuities like no load mutual funds? Ron in Roanoke, Virginia. Answer: Phenomenal question Ron! The annuity industry is very late to the party when it comes to “no load” type offerings that are common in the mutual fund industry. No load can mean a few things. It can refer to no fees for buying a strategy, no fees to keep the strategy, and no fees to sell the strategy. Let’s...
View Article
