Annuities provide a handful of really effective solutions to common problems amongst both retirees and pre-retirees.   Some examples are consumers seeking purely safety and growth in the market.  Fixed and Index Annuities provide these very features.  Some consumers use annuities with estate planning and wealth transfer.  Some like to prepare for Long Term Care, Nursing [...]

Great video on the out of control internet marketing annuity rates that we all see out there today.  

Many myths exist about fixed index annuities.  The retirement planning and financial services industry is a very competitive one where the overwhelming majority of advisors truly do recommend what they believe is best for their clients.  However, this competitive culture has led to a lot of bad information and inaccurate data, specifically with regards to [...]

There are a handful of scenarios where an annuity would be a great fit a consumer.  One of the more popular needs today is wealth transfer.  Consumers want to just leave their money to heirs, and allow it to grow better than a CD.  Annuity carriers now provide “enhanced death benefits” to generate guaranteed growth [...]

A large percentage of annuities, both variable and fixed are sold with an optional income rider these days.  These riders have become the main selling point and in many times, the reason the buyer is deciding to purchase the annuity.  So the question becomes, how do these riders really work?   The story usually goes [...]

So you are being told by your retirement specialist that an annuity is a great fit for a portion of your safe money.  After talking it over with your family and friends, you learn that they have the exact opposite reaction towards an annuity.  They tell you its a bad decision, and that you’ll never be able [...]

Can Annuities Help Retirees?  Yes, they absolutely can.  And if used correctly, they can be the best thing that has every happened to a retiree.  Every person’s situation is different and there are different types of annuities for certain situations.  Check out this great video where Kiplinger’s retirement experts explain the “4% Rule” and look at [...]

America’s largest mutual life insurer just announced very strong first-quarter life insurance sales and immediate annuity sales.  New York Life saw a record year in sales in 2012 and it would appear as though they are continuing in that direction for 2013.  The first quarter sales include single premium immediate annuities, where New York Life [...]

In an effort to increase productivity and save on operational costs, New York-based MetLife has cut 2,500 financial advisors from its workforce.  That’s almost one-third of the total amount of MetLife advisors as of 2012.  The company also eliminated 25 agencies, leaving only 60 in the U.S.  MetLife’s variable annuity sales have been down considerably [...]

An annuity is a tax deferred vehicle, but how are withdraws from a non-qualified annuity treated?  The IRS distribution regulations for retirement accounts also apply to non-qualified annuities.  However it’s only imposed on the portions of your withdraws that are considered growth.  Once you depleted your growth, there will no longer be any IRS regulation [...]