An annuity is a great option for guaranteed income.  Essentially, you pay premiums to an insurance company, and in return you receive guaranteed income for life.  It is important to understand how annuities work and how they can help you retire comfortably.   If you are thinking about purchasing an annuity be sure to do [...]

The numbers are in for fourth quarter 2012 sales of index annuities, and they might not surprise you.  According to LIMRA’s fourth quarter 2012 U.S. Individual Annuities Sales survey, index annuity sales hit a record high of $33.9 billion in 2012.  Does that surprise you?  With interest rates at an all-time low, and the volatility [...]

Robert Powell reports on the tax friendly states on Marketwatch.   But which are the most tax-friendly states? Well, it’s not an easy question to answer according to Kathleen Thies, a state tax analyst with CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business. States that have high personal income-tax rates might have low property tax rates and states [...]

What is the perfect mix of retirement products that would ensure that your clients accumulate enough wealth to pass a legacy on to their heirs while maintaining a comfortable income stream as long as they live?  This is the million-dollar question that every financial advisor aims to answer.  According to Peng Zhou, Ph.D., an actuary [...]

According to a recent poll conducted by Nationwide Financial, a sector of the population they refer to as mass affluent are open to learning about tax-advantaged products.  The online survey polled 751 adults with $250,000 or more in investable assets.  The survey also drilled down the respondents into income brackets in an effort to showcase [...]

More “Non-shocking” news!   A new study shows that over half of Americans over age 30 will not have enough money to maintain their current standard of living throughout retirement.  The study, done by the Center for Retirement Research, indicated that our country’s future retirement landscape is in dire straits.  This will be the first [...]

The following tips come from a great article from Insurance & Technology.  Jon Malenfant from DataXu wrote 5 solid tips on how to properly attack Digital Marketing with the Insurance Industry.  You can read the full article here.         1. Feed the funnel and keep acquisition costs low. Customer loyalty has declined [...]