Stan The Annuity Man |
May 23, 2013 |
Ask Stan The Annuity Man, Member Posts
Question: I’ve been shopping for annuities online, and it seems that most sites are using worn out “bait and switch” type sales tactics. It’s very frustrating, and I’m wondering why is this allowed by the regulators? Tim from Colorado. Answer: Tim, I’m as frustrated as you with these sites and ads. These types of marketing and sales practices continue to feed into the negative stigma that the annuity industry has unfortunately earned. I’m sure from the public’s view it looks like a free for all...
View Article
Stan The Annuity Man |
May 16, 2013 |
Annuity Commissions, Ask Stan The Annuity Man, Member Posts, Miscellaneous Annuity Info
The “Ask Stan The Annuity Man” educational series is provided by a nationally recognized annuity critic and annuity consumer advocate. Stan The Annuity Man has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, and is the author of the highly acclaimed book, The Annuity Stanifesto. Question: I’m talking to a lot of annuity agents, and can’t get a consistent answer on how they get paid. I know that they do, so how do annuity commissions work? Joe from Texas Answer: Good job for...
View Article
Stan The Annuity Man |
May 15, 2013 |
Member Posts, Nina Avery, Retirement Planning
Written By: Nina Avery, CFP® | Avery Safe Money Solutions You may find it hard to believe that taxes are currently at historically low rates. You may find it harder still to believe that your traditional qualified retirement plan (IRA, 401k, 403b, etc.) is a tax bomb waiting to happen. “Conventional wisdom” advises delaying or postponing paying taxes – you might know this as deferring – but the truth is, you are not just postponing the tax, you are also postponing the tax calculation. You...
View Article
Stan The Annuity Man |
May 14, 2013 |
Annuity Basics, Member Posts, Retirement Planning
Written By: Lyndol Anderson | West Texas Senior Solutions This general information gives basic details on options for settling inherited financial accounts. The ramifications to a beneficiary’s personal estate and income taxes will be discussed. The most common types of inherited accounts are listed in order of highest to lowest potential income tax burden. 1) Tax Qualified Accounts: IRA’s, 401(k)’s, 403(b)’s, etc. 2) Tax Deferred Non-Qualified Annuities 3) Bank Accounts: CD’s, Money Markets, Checking Accounts, etc. 4) Life Insurance 1-a) IRA Accounts: The funds in...
View Article
Stan The Annuity Man |
May 9, 2013 |
Ask Stan The Annuity Man, Member Posts
Question: How do I know that the annuity company or insurance carrier is safe and can back up the policy guarantees? Ernest from Wisconsin Answer: Timely question Ernest, and very important when deciding to allocate funds to an annuity strategy. Annuity guarantees are only as good as the insurance company standing behind the policy. Even though annuities and life insurance are backed at the state level, your decision should primarily be based on the issuing company. As a point of interest, you can go the...
View Article
Stan The Annuity Man |
May 3, 2013 |
401k and IRA Blogs, Member Posts, Nina Avery, Retirement Planning
Written By: Nina Avery, CFP® | Avery Safe Money Solutions Someone once told me the traditional pension had gone the way of the dodo. I found the reference odd at the time and I find it odd that I can still hear those words so clearly all these years later. Why are traditional pensions practically extinct? Traditional pensions are expensive and a huge liability to a company. Administration and management are hard costs that cannot be negotiated and risk is ever present. There are just...
View Article
Stan The Annuity Man |
May 2, 2013 |
Ask Stan The Annuity Man, Member Posts
Question: What should I expect an annuity to do? Why should I consider buying one? Fred from California Answer: Let me start by annoying the “annuity sales gods” by saying that you might not need an annuity. Gasp! That’s right, annuities are not for everyone even though a lot of agents have a “one size fits all” mentality when it comes to selling them. I have come up with an easy acronym to use to determine if an annuity might be a suitable and appropriate...
View Article
Stan The Annuity Man |
May 1, 2013 |
Cal Burgess, Member Posts, Retirement Planning, The United States Economy
Written By: Cal Burgess | Retirement Servicing Group This morning I took my son to a local diner for breakfast. During the meal I couldn’t help notice the couple to the booth in front of me discussing how to protect a lump sum of money. This couple was in their mid 30s, with a 3 yr old they were busily entertaining. The option they were discussing was a 5 year CD. I found it interesting that the husband made the remark “5 years from now...
View Article
Stan The Annuity Man |
April 25, 2013 |
Ask Stan The Annuity Man, Hybrid Annuities, Member Posts
Question: Stan, I have met and talked to a few agents to see if an annuity is right for me and they all keep using the word “HYBRID” to explain their recommendation. Is a hybrid annuity new? Jim from North Carolina Answer: Thanks for a very timely question, Jim. I recently addressed this “hybrid hype” issue in my weekly MarketWatch.com column (click here). I encourage you to take a look. The short answer to your question is NO. The word hybrid associated with the word...
View Article
Stan The Annuity Man |
April 22, 2013 |
Barry Goldwater, Member Posts, Retirement Planning
Written By: Barry Goldwater | Goldwater Financial Group A study entitled “Financial Viability and Retirement Assets: A Look at Small Business Owners and Private Sector Workers,” done by the advocacy department of the Small Business Administration found that smaller and more financially vulnerable business owners (those with fewer than 25 workers) have less invested in retirement assets than their larger or financially stronger peers. The percentage of self-employed business owners with retirement plans is surprisingly low. Another report conducted by Jules Lichtenstein of the office...
View Article
