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You are here: Home / Annuity Types / Online Annuity Rates and Annuity Quotes May 2025 / Fixed Annuity Alternatives

Fixed Annuity Alternatives

What Fixed Annuity Alternatives Exist?

Life is full of choices and nowhere are there more voices competing for your attention than in the world of investing. There are many solid great investments available. Conversely, there are also very bad investments in every financial category that exists. Investments and strategies are similar to ingredients in the kitchen. For the most part, it is not the ingredients that can be blamed for the terrible meal. It is the cook! Similarly when financial planning or retirement planning take place, it is normally not the investment’s fault but the incompetent or self-serving planner that used their influence to their clients chagrin.

**Guarantees, including optional benefits, are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuer, and may contain limitations, including surrender charges, which may affect policy values. During this segment, Dick and Eric are referring to Fixed Annuities unless otherwise specified.

Review 3-Best Retirement Annuities for Your
GROWTH, INCOME & SAFETY!

Each investment allocation, when used properly, will complement the whole of the financial plan, thus creating if you will a superior retirement rather than a shortsighted out of balance plan. Do not try to use alternatives where annuities are the best answer. Likewise, do not use annuities where they do not fit or give you a reasonable advantage. There are obviously investment vehicles that are different. Yet, they may each in there own way, at certain times, help accomplish the financial objective. If you have a larger portfolio, it is probably not wise to place most of it in annuities; however, if you have modest or moderate funds that you must rely on for present or future income, then having the majority of it in an annuity may be the best strategy. An alternative for the sake of an alternative with no solid rationale behind it will likely lead to a disappointment at best. Using a skilled financial planner/educator who knows how to really put the ingredients together can enhance your success. It is very important to know that the planner is competent and trustworthy. Do a serious background check and also check references before handing over any of your life savings. As you should know, there are a lot of investment alternatives to choose from. Here are a few to consider:
  • Certificates of Deposit
  • Money Markets
  • Bills
  • Savings Account
  • Treasury Inflation Protected Securities
  • U.S. Government Bonds
  • Municipal Bonds
  • Investment-Grade Bonds
  • Junk Bonds
  • Bond Funds
  • Bond ETFs
  • Preferred Stock
  • Common Stock
  • Managed Money Accounts
  • Stock Options
  • Real Estate Investment Trusts
  • Mutual Funds
  • Exchange Traded Funds
  • Unit Investment Trusts
  • Closed-End Funds
  • Modified Endowment Contracts
  • Investment-Grade Life Insurance

Fixed Annuities

  • Lump-sum or periodic contributions
  • Invested in mostly high quality A-AAA bonds
  • No risk to client. Insurance company assumes all risk
  • Guaranteed interest
  • Modest growth
  • 3% to 6% interest crediting possible
  • 1- to 15-year term
  • Predictable, simple
  • Guaranteed retirement income
  • No annual fees

Fixed Annuity with Indexing Options

[FIA, Fixed Index Annuities]

  • Lump-sum or periodic contributions
  • Invested in mostly high quality A-AAA bonds
  • Annual interest crediting risk to client
  • Insurance company **guarantees principal
  • Higher rate potential based on index performance (such as S&P 500, Dow Jones, NASDAQ, etc.)
  • Moderate growth
  • 4% to 8% interest crediting potential; varies with index performance
  • 3- to 14-year term
  • Sophisticated,greater potential
  • Guaranteed retirement income options
  • Annual fees, minimal to none

Variable Annuity

  • Lump-sum or periodic contributions
  • Invested in sub-accounts chosen by client
  • Principal and return risk. Client assumes investment responsibility
  • Higher rate potential based corresponding investment risk
  • Moderate to aggressive growth
  • -5% to +10% return potential; varies with economic factors
  • 3- to 10-year term
  • Complex, greater potential and risk
  • Guaranteed retirement income; may fluctuate based on returns
  • 2% to 5% annual fees

Immediate Annuity

  • Lump-sum-only contributions
  • Invested in mostly high quality A-AAA bonds
  • No Risk to client. Insurance Company assumes all risk
  • Guaranteed income
  • Minimal growth
  • 1% to 3% Internal Rate of Return
  • 5- 10- 15- 20- 25- 30-year and lifetime terms
  • Predictable, simple
  • Guaranteed retirement income
  • No annual fees

Common Annuity Benefits

  • Safety: Backed by highly rated state regulated insurers
  • Tax Deferral: Tax-deferred growth
  • Higher Return: Better interest rates typically than CDs
  • Life Insurance: Death payout **guarantee options
  • Liquidity: Flexible withdrawal privileges
  • Unlimited Contributions, Unlike IRAs and 401(k)s
  • Inheritance: Pass money directly to heirs bypassing probate
  • Lifetime Option: Income you can’t outlive (Annuitization or a Living Benefit Rider)

Each of the investment categories and the four listed annuities serve a particular purpose. It is important to look at your age, size of assets, future income needs, and inflation and then do a cash flow analysis over your life expectancy during retirement. This will help you choose which investment or annuity is right for you. Financial planner/educators can be valuable when you are close to making a decision on an annuity or an investment. Avoid insurance salesman that are just pushing their higher commission products.

Question: How can you be certain if an advisor is just a self-serving, commission-motivated insurance salesman?

Answer: Their breath stinks! Otherwise known as commission breath. They are a little pushy, lacking objectivity and detail their goal is to “close you” (you are their lead). You can actually smell their breath from miles away!

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ANNUITY ADVISORS AVOID TELLING!
  • *FIDUCIARY RETIREMENT REVIEWS
    Second Opinions Improve Retirements
     
    "For Your Retirement's Success"
     Choose a *Fiduciary Advisor who gives you Full Disclosure of Cost & Selection.
     
    Material Fact 1:
      About 90% of advisors ARE NOT REQUIRED by law to do what is best for their clients!
     
    Material Fact 2:
     Fiduciary Advisors ARE REQUIRED by law to do what's best for their clients! 
     
      Hence, clients of a fiduciary can know that their advisor chose the highest legal standard required by law to work strictly for their highest good.
     
     We estimate Fiduciaries are less than 10% of total U.S. financial service providers. Fiduciaries are held to the highest client legal standard of financial planning and investment advice.
     
     The other 90% are sales oriented advisors, brokers, bank reps, registered reps. & insurance agents, selling products on a much lower suitability legal standard, not necessarily what's best for their client!
     
       Fiduciaries also must disclose conflicts of interest that could potentially bias their advice, such as; selling products that pay them higher commissions having higher fees or costs, and their lack of investment product access limiting their client's opportunities, to name a few.
     
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  ** Guarantees, including optional benefits, are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuer, and may contain limitations, including surrender charges, which may affect policy values. Annuities are not FDIC insured and it is possible to lose money.
Annuities are insurance products that require a premium to be paid for purchase.
Annuities do not accept or receive deposits and are not to be confused with bank issued financial instruments.
During all video segments, Dick and Eric are referring to Fixed Annuities unless otherwise specified.


  *Retirement Planning and annuity purchase assistance may be provided by Eric Judy or by referral to a recommended, experienced, Fiduciary Investment Advisor in helping Annuity Guys website visitors. Dick Van Dyke semi-retired from his Investment Advisory Practice in 2012 and now focuses on this educational Annuity Guys Website. He still maintains his insurance license in good standing and assists his current clients.
Annuity Guys' vetted and recommended Fiduciary Financial Planners are required to be properly licensed in assisting clients with their annuity and retirement planning needs. (Due diligence as a client is still always necessary when working with any advisor to check their current standing.)



  # Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of a variable annuity and its underlying investment options. The current prospectus and underlying prospectuses, which are contained in the same document, provide this and other important information. Please contact an Investment Professional or the issuing Company to obtain the prospectuses. Please read the prospectuses carefully before investing or sending money.


  ^ Investors should consider investment objectives, risk, charges, and expenses carefully before investing. This and other important information is contained in the fund prospectuses and summary prospectuses, which can be obtained from a financial professional and should be read carefully before investing.


  ^ Eric Judy offers advisory services through Client One Securities, LLC an Investment Advisor. Annuity Guys Ltd. and Client One Securities, LLC are not affiliated.


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