Jason Soloman |
December 17, 2013 |
Annuity Basics, Fixed Annuities, Index Annuities, Jason Soloman, Member Posts
The debate about fixed annuities has been going on for years. Some advisors/insurance agents will only sell indexed annuities to retirees; other advisors/agents won’t associate their name with such products. I on the other hand believe that for the right person, an indexed annuity could be a piece of a holistic retirement plan. Listed below are 3 reasons I like and hate indexed annuities. Things I love About Indexed Annuities 1. Income For Life People can bash the Social Security system all they want, but...
View Article
Howard Hafetz |
December 13, 2013 |
Annuity Basics, Howard Hafetz, Income Riders, Member Posts, Miscellaneous Annuity Info
There is a lot of marketing done that references various “returns”. Much of it is misleading at best and flat out incorrect at worst. Let’s try to make sense to all the rhetoric. Marketing, typically, is designed to generate interest in people that may be in the market for a product or service. It should capture interest by emphasizing the best attributes of the product or service. But, I am sure most would agree that, in many cases, it goes way beyond that. Have you...
View Article
John P. Grimes |
December 13, 2013 |
Annuity Basics, Annuity123, John Grimes, Long Term Care, Member Posts
If you’re of a certain age like me, think AARP subscriber, then you’ve no doubt been bombarded by solicitations to purchase long term care insurance, LTCI. It really makes sense given that the chances of needing care at some point are better than 50/50 for most people. Do a little research and you’ll find it costs anywhere from $6K to $10K per month for a stay in an Assisted Living facility or Nursing Home. Given that the average stay in a nursing facility is 3-5...
View Article
Keith L. Collins |
December 12, 2013 |
Annuity Basics, Annuity123, Fixed Annuities, Member Posts
For most retirees living on a fixed income, every penny counts. Unfortunately for them, every penny counts to the Internal Revenue Service too. There’s no arguing that taxes on social security are incredibly high. As a matter of fact, according to current tax law, up to 85 percent of a person’s Social Security income is taxable when their total ‘threshold income’ exceeds a set limit. What is threshold income? Threshold income is the government’s formula for determining how much of a person’s Social Security is...
View Article
Keith L. Collins |
December 12, 2013 |
Member Posts
Written By: Ike Ikokwu, CFP, CPA, CTC, MSPFP in Atlanta, GA It’s an extremely exciting time to be an investor; that is, assuming you are currently invested in the market. As I write, yesterday, November 18, 2013, marked the first time that the DOW crossed 16,000. Not to be left behind, the S&P 500 also hit a major mile marker as well, crossing 1,800 for the first time. And the good news is that the party isn’t over, since it’s only the middle of November. ...
View Article
Keith L. Collins |
December 11, 2013 |
Annuity Basics, Member Posts, Secondary Annuities
Written By: Larry Klein in Walnut Creek, CA There are 2 types of annuity buyers that end up with annuities they would like to sell (and you could be the buyer): Those people who buy immediate annuities and then later decide they desire the cash rather than monthly or annual payments over time Those people who get legal settlements in the form of an annuity and they prefer to have a lump sum of cash You can be the buyer of such “secondary annuities” and...
View Article
Todd D. Heckman |
December 11, 2013 |
Annuity Basics, Annuity123, Healthcare, Long Term Care, Member Posts, Todd Heckman
The Medicare program began life as an addition to President Franklin Roosevelt’s vision to meet the needs of older workers living in America. Medicare was created in 1965 under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to include health benefits for those retirees eligible for Social Security retirement. What is Medicare? Within 3 months prior to and up to 3 months after your 65th birthday, you are eligible to enroll in Medicare. There are no income qualifications (minimums or maximums) for the program, just...
View Article
Jerry Rogers |
December 10, 2013 |
401k and IRA Blogs, Jerry Rogers, Member Posts
The stock market has been on a bull run for the last few months. Many 401k plans have gone up in value because of the exposure to stock investments within the plan. If your 401k plan account value has risen anywhere near the 20% range like the overall market did – you may want to consider what happens next. If you believe the stock market is not volatile and is going to continue to go straight up no matter what our nation’s economy does then...
View Article
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...
View Article
Jason Soloman |
December 6, 2013 |
Annuity Basics, Annuity123, Index Annuities, Jason Soloman, Member Posts, Surrender Charges
Some annuities, specifically indexed annuities, have a surrender charge that ranges from 3-15 years. So if you are not terminally ill, require nursing care for more than 90 days, and want to withdraw more than 10% from your annuity there will probably be some monetary consequences to go along with your withdraw. Some surrender charges are defined and won’t change; others fluctuate via their Market Value Adjustment. So what is a Market Value Adjustment (MVA)? Essentially a Market Value Adjustment is the insurance company’s way...
View Article
