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 [...]

Annuities have surged in popularity with seniors and baby boomers recently.  As many companies are eliminating pensions for their employees, many people have turned to annuities as a “build your own pension” for personal savings.  Many annuities offer a unique combination of income for life plus protection from market risk.  Retirees are using this strategy [...]

As complicated as saving for retirement is, many often revert back to the golden 4% rule or sticking to the “I need 80% of my current income per year during retirement.”  Although these are viable options, every retiree needs to take into consideration their own unique goals.  Here are four simple steps to help one [...]

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 [...]

A lot of consumers think that just because a product has the highest income rollup, that they are going to receive the highest income payment.  That couldn’t be farther from the truth.  When comparing income rollups, there are three key elements to take into consideration and look at.  Those three being age, payout percentage, and [...]

There are so many different things we can do to improve our finances to be prepared for retirement now, while we are still working. The goal is not to retire, then work to help sustain our lifestyles. Financial finesse made some good points on things we can do to get ourselves ready for retirement.   1. [...]

Annuity Producers will now have to complete their 4 hour NAIC Training and Product Specific Training prior to soliciting any annuity business to the consumer starting June 1st.   Please contact Annuity Think Tank to find out how you can complete this training.

Should you take a pension plan lump sum payout or sell it for income?  That’s a question that comes up all the time for baby boomers on the verge of retirement and are trying to figure out what to do with their pension.  Historically, pension plans didn’t offer a lifetime income stream.    We are starting [...]

Unfortunately, there are some common mistakes that many make with regards to retirement that can be avoided.  Many people aren’t aware of the pitfalls in their plans.  Many retirees begin taking their social security payouts as soon as they are eligible, however by delaying the benefit, the monthly payout increases, and the overall benefit increases [...]

Insurers have been brainstorming on how to make income annuities more attractive. Income annuity sales reached $8.7 billion last year, according to LIMRA. New features like flexible income options, liquidity and death benefits have been added to see if investors will take another look at income annuities. Mark Paracer, a research project director at LIMRA [...]