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Annuity Undo Buttons – Using Your Free Look!

By

Most big ticket purchase come with a warranty or a **guarantee – including annuities. Did you know that all annuities come with a money back satisfaction **guarantee?

Annuity owners are permitted to terminate their annuities contracts without penalty or surrender charges during their free-look period. The free-look period differs by state and by carrier but typically last for a period of not less than…[continued below video]

Video: The Annuity Guys, Eric and Dick examine one of the most unknown and misunderstood aspects of an annuity purchasing decision.

**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.

…10 days. If the annuity owner decides to surrender the contract during this period, they can receive a full refund of premium paid thus releasing them from the contract which allows them to re-consider their options or pursue other alternatives.

The free-look provision provides annuity purchasers an extra level of comfort knowing that they can “undo” their decision if they find something discomforting or unexpected in their contract at the time of delivery.
Investopedia explains ‘Free Look Period’
During the free look period, the purchaser can continue to ask the insurer questions regarding the contract in order to better understand the policy. If refunded, the amount given back may equate to the value of the account at cancellation or to the amount of purchase payments, depending on the state.


[embedit snippet=”faq-short-version”]

Annuities Make Life Better for Retirees – Study Reports

By

Would you rather be happy and optimistic in retirement or worried about spending too much? We know it sounds like a silly question; but, what if we told you that retirees who have a greater percentage of their retirement income coming from **guaranteed sources are happier than those who do not. So, now you know – owning an annuity can make you a happier retiree.

One factor confirming this conclusion is the study from Towers Watson that tracked retirement happiness among retirees from 1998 to 2010. Their survey results showed…[continued below video]

Video: The Annuity Guys, Eric and Dick examine why annuities may enable happier retirements!

**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.


 
[continued] …that all things being equal such as health and wealth – retirees who have more  from pensions or annuities are happier in retirement.

We also know from our own clients that removing the anxiety of worrying about the volatility of their retirement assets improves their attitude, especially when stock markets are in a free fall and their annuity checks are not affected – they just keep showing up every month like a steady paycheck.

We recently heard Tom Hegna tell a similar story that he shares with people when trying to describe the value of lifetime income in retirement.

Can you imagine driving a car through the middle of a remote forest, enjoying the scenery with your family, admiring the changing foliage and wildlife around the road, and enjoying the peace and serenity. Many hours into your trip you realize that you are hundreds of miles away from civilization and your gas tank will surely be empty before you get to your destination. You start to get stressed and the family starts arguing about what speed you should drive to be more efficient. No one is able to enjoy the peace and serenity around anymore because they are all fixated on the gas gauge and the dropping needle. This is synonymous to retirement for most retirees when they become fixated on watching a decreasing asset base- knowing that if they live too long, will eventually run out of money. Conversely, owning an annuity is like having a never ending supply of gas that can guide you smoothly down the road, eliminating the fear of your car suddenly stalling.

Are we suggesting that all your money should be in annuities? No. Use annuities first to take care of your core income needs including some luxuries that make retirement more enjoyable and then you can allocate the remainder of your assets for further safety or in securities that could lose money but will instead (hopefully) provide you with some “bonuses” that you can use to splurge on additional luxuries or allow you to leave a larger legacy.

Enjoy this video by Tom Hegna where he articulates the importance of annuities in retirement.


 

Want to see more on the study referenced in the blog…

Annuities and Retirement Happiness

by Steve Nyce and Billie Jean Quade at Towers Watson

Prolonged economic uncertainty and high unemployment have been wreaking havoc on the American retirement dream. Over the last five years, most Americans have suffered losses to their retirement savings and home values, while the rising cost of essentials, such as food, gas and health care, is squeezing many household budgets. This Towers Watson’s analysis examines retirement satisfaction over the last decade, including the cushioning effects of annuities.1

The financial crisis and recession that followed put new emphasis on the value of financial security and the risks of market dependence. While adverse economic conditions have affected all workers, older workers and retirees face additional risks, such as outliving their savings (longevity risk) and having less time to wait for markets to rebound. Annuities protect retirees from longevity risk and establish a floor of income — beyond the modest annuity paid by Social Security — safe from investment losses.

While for some retirees, a substantial portion of retirement wealth is annuitized through defined benefit pension plans, the increasing scarcity of these plans leaves more workers staring down retirement with a 401(k)-style lump sum. Many retirees and older workers are wondering whether to buy an annuity and how much of their savings to annuitize. With 76 million baby boomers making or about to make annuity decisions, the stakes are high for everyone — retirees, policymakers, employers, even taxpayers.

Many Americans consider annuities as illiquid and expensive and thus have avoided them in the past, even as research has shown that the security provided by annuities boosts retirement satisfaction. A 2003 study found that retirees with a higher percentage of annuitized income were happier on a cross-sectional basis and maintained higher levels of satisfaction over time than their less annuitized counterparts.2 A 2005 study found that retirees receiving annuities from defined benefit pensions were happier than those without pensions and those with only a defined contribution plan.3

KEY FINDINGS
  • Retirement satisfaction has steadily declined over the last decade.
  • Satisfaction is highest among those with high levels of wealth and income who are very healthy and annuitize their income.
  • Among retirees with similar wealth and health characteristics, those with annuitized incomes are happiest.
  • Annuities provide the biggest satisfaction boost to retirees with less wealth and those in poor health.
  • Despite variations, the satisfaction effects of annuitized income and general decline in retirement satisfaction are long term and extend across all respondents. […Read more at Towers Watson]


Using OutCome Based Planning™ for Your Retirement

We practice and recommend a "Holistic - OutCome Based Planning™ process when considering annuities." This approach has the effect of balancing your overall portfolio so you can meet your retirement objectives by "first identifying the least amount of your investments or savings (if any) that should be considered for annuities." OutCome Based Planning™ analyzes and models multiple outcomes so you can clearly identify your best income and growth opportunities.

"The Annuity Guys will only call if you request help". Hence, when you are ready for specialized help we will be available.
"Working with an Experienced Fiduciary Financial Planner can help you Avoid a Trial & Error or Risk Based Retirement"

This type of approach does take considerably more time, effort and analysis which will show you mathematically the successful possibilities by comparing various outcomes rather than trying to sell or convince you of that "so-called one best solution." Clients frequently tell us that this process removes some of the confusion and emotion to help them objectively identify a better retirement plan; rather than just ending up with the most convincing salesperson or advisor.

When requesting help you can be assured of working with an experienced Annuity Guys' Retirement Planner who is independently insurance licensed and securities licensed as a fiduciary financial planner having access to the vast majority of annuity companies in helping you choose the best annuities using a holistic-outcome based planning approach. We consider the high quality advisor recommendations we make to our website visitors as a direct reflection back on our commitment to serve all client's with a high standard of excellence in financial planning for retirement.

Based on survey feedback on advisors from our website visitors, we eliminated about two-hundred local advisors and now only recommend a few that we consider experienced vetted Annuity Guys' Fiduciary Advisors. Many local advisors continue requesting us to recommend them as a vetted advisor. However, our reputation and future business is driven only by satisfied website visitors. So, unfortunately we've had to tell the vast majority of local advisors no, since we changed our business model four years ago. At that time we stopped trying to satisfy everyone with local advisors, we now primarily work with individuals who are comfortable using today's internet technology to their fullest advantage by working with a select group of vetted, experienced and knowledgeable Annuity Guys' Fiduciary Planners.


Fiduciary Retirement Review
Priority Mail - Free Shipping!Our Gift to You

After confirming your request for help and shipping address by phone, we will immediately send your FREE personally signed Library Edition of our popular Annuity Reference Book "The New Retirement" plus Fact-Filled, Full Video Access!


Selecting the Best Annuity & Retirement Income Advisor

Are you willing to work with one of our retirement and annuity advisors based on their experience and expertise as a first priority rather than being limited by a local or regional area? The good news is that technology has forever eliminated our geographical limitations and leveled the playing field for everyone! As a result of today's technological advances, all of us can now work confidently with experts in any field including personal finance. We are no longer confined by regional or local boundaries limiting our choices and ultimate success. A high quality advisor is now as close as a click or phone call away.

Video:"Choose a National or Local Advisor"?
"There is no room for trial and error when it comes to choosing MarketFree® Annuities or a Successful Retirement Planner."
When you think about it, your money is almost always in some other state with a custodian; whether invested in the market or with an annuity insurance company, the advisors competence is primarily needed when positioning your money initially. So working with a specialized expert in a financial discipline like investments or retirement planning is imperative. There are no undo buttons in retirement! Once the annuities get set up correctly, it is customary and more efficient for owners to benefit by having direct access to the issuer instead of having to go through the agent. And, of course any reputable advisor, local or national, is more than willing to assist their clients if needed after they are implemented.
Video:"Why These 3 Types of Annuity Advisors are Not Created Equal"
"There are no undo buttons in retirement so it is vitally important that you do it right the first time!"

We are fortunate to have a select few who we believe are truly the highest qualified advisors out of about two hundred licensed insurance agents that we eliminated. Your survey feedback is what helps us make these tough decisions. Our advisors have an independent financial practice, specializing in annuities and retirement planning, which helps ensure that you are given the best options available for your retirement planning.

Video: "How Much of Your Money Should You Consider Placing into Annuities"?
"It takes an experienced expert to know how to structure annuities for income, inflation, growth, return of principal, and tax advantage."

"Anyone can sell you an annuity; however, it takes a truly qualified and experienced advisor to know how to structure them for income, inflation, growth, return of principal, and tax advantage. Typically, there is not just one that can accomplish all of these objectives. It is how an advisor structures multiple annuities in balancing your total portfolio that makes it possible to achieve your most important retirement objectives."

Video: "How to Choose a Great retirement Advisor"?

Why Searching for the Best Annuities on Your Own Can be so Frustrating...

Almost everyone nowadays turns to the internet for answers on everything - from buying new widgets to researching just about everything under the sun; and finding the best annuity is no exception!At first, it may seem that researching will be straightforward but the more time you spend researching them, the more frustrating it can be. Why is this? First of all, it does not take long to realize that gimmicks abound - such as warnings and alerts from salesmen who just want your attention so they can sell you one or the "too good to be true" claims of 8% to 14% **guaranteed interest and of course the claim that you can get the full market upside with no downside risk! If you have done any research you have heard all of these claims in advertising which are mostly half truths and not fully explained.So how can you find the best annuities on the internet? The truth is... you can't! And what is even more frustrating is all the conflicting points of view from so called experts. There are well over 6,000 different annuities - all designed for different reasons, so is it any wonder that the deck is stacked against the average researcher or do-it-yourselfer. Add to that the fact that they pay high enough commissions to attract a plethora of both good and bad agents. This does not make annuities good or bad; they are simply a financial tool that truly benefit those who use them correctly.How can you find the best annuities for your unique situation?
  • Use the internet cautiously;
  • Work with a vetted and experienced specialist;
  • Do not settle for that one dubious best plan. Compare multiple Outcome Based Plans to decide on the one that is truly best for you;
  • Be keenly aware of scare tactics and hyperbole - avoid those advisors and websites;
  • Avoid websites that are focused on rushing free reports, rates and quotes to get your contact information they are rushing you to speak with them, instead, take your time and choose someone you are more comfortable with that works on your time-table;
  • Know the Five Vital Factors (listed above) that an experienced specialist must answer before helping you select the best options for your situation;
  • Watch this telling video "Avoid Annuity Gimmicks, Amateurs and Charlatans"...

Video: "Avoiding Gimmicks, Scams & Charlatans"

  ** 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.
They 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 our website visitors. Dick Van Dyke semi-retired from his Investment Advisory Practice in 2012 and now focuses on this website. He still maintains his insurance license in good standing and assists his current clients.
Our 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.)


Site Terms & Disclosure

  1. All tools, videos or information visible on this website's pages, television, or other media are for educational and conceptual purposes only.
  2. Tools, videos or information are not to be considered investment advice, insurance recommendations, tax or legal advice.
  3. It is recommended that site visitors should work with licensed professionals for individualized advice before making any important or final financial decisions on what is best for his or her situation.
  4. Website comments are not considered investor testimonials those shown only relate to an insurance agent referral service, customer service, or satisfaction with the purchase of insurance products and are never based on any investment or securities advice or investment or securities performance.
  5. Please be aware that your feedback and compliments may be shared with our visitors or those that may be interested in our services we will never give out your full name or full address or phone number without your permission. By sending us your feedback & comments you agree to allow us full use in sharing your comments with others in public forums. Thank you for sharing.
  6. Media logos are not any type of endorsement, they only imply that one or more of the Annuity Guys have written for, been quoted by, or appeared on the listed news outlet, broadcast or cable channels, or branded programs for non-advertising and/or advertising purposes, to offer educational and conceptual information about retirement issues.
  7. Income is guaranteed by annuitization or income riders that may have additional costs or fees.
  8. http://www.annuityguys.net & http://www.annuityguys.com forward to https://annuityguys.org. - Further all disclosures and information are to be considered as one and the same for any and all URL forwards, and these same disclosures and information also apply to all YouTube videos featuring Dick & Eric where ever they are viewed.
  9. MarketFree™ Annuity Definition: Any fixed annuity or portfolio of fixed annuities that protects principal / premium and growth by remaining market risk free.
  10. Market Free™ (annuities, retirements and portfolios) refer to the use of fixed insurance products with minimum guarantees that have no market risk to principal and are not investments in securities.
  11. Market Gains are a calculation used to determine interest earned as a result of an increasing market related index limited by various factors in the contract. These can vary with each annuity and issuing insurance company.
  12. Premium is the correct term for money placed into annuities principal is used as a universal term that describes the cash value of any asset.
  13. Interest Earned is the correct term to describe Market Free™ Annuity Growth; Market Gains, Returns, Growth and other generally used terms only refer to actual Interest Earned
  14. Market Free™ Annuities are fixed insurance products and only require an insurance license in order to sell these products; they are not securities investments and do not require a securities license.
  15. No Loss only pertains to market downturns and not if losses are incurred due to early withdrawal penalties or other fees for additional insurance benefits.
  16. Annuities typically have surrender periods where early or excessive withdrawals may result in a surrender cost.
  17. Market Free™ Annuities may or may not have a bonus. Some bonus products have fees or lower interest crediting and when surrendered early the bonus or part of the bonus may be forfeited as part of the surrender process which is determined by each contract.
  18. MarketFree™ Annuities are not FDIC Insured and are not guaranteed by any Government Agency.
  19. Annuities are not Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insured and their guarantees are based on the claims paying ability of the issuing insurance company.
  20. State Insurance Guarantee Associations (SIGA) vary in coverage with each state and are not to be confused with FDIC which has the backing of the federal government.
  21. This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration.
  22. *"Best” refers only to the opinion of Dick, this site's author; or the opinion of Dick & Eric in videos and is not considered best for all individuals.
  23. *"APO” refers only to the Annual Pay-Out of annuities in the guaranteed lifetime income phase. *APO is NOT an annual yield or an annual rate of interest.
  24. AnnuityRateWatch.com, is only a linked to subscription service, which is not affiliated with this site, it supplies and updates all Annuity Rates, Features Ratings, Fees and Riders. AnnuityRateWatch.com's information is available in the public domain and accuracy is not verified or guaranteed since this type of information is always subject to change.
  25. Dick helps site visitors when help is requested. Dick may receive a referral fee as compensation from an advisor for a prospective client referral. This helps compensate Dick for time spent assisting site visitors and maintaining this educational website.
  26. Eric Judy is both insurance licensed and securities licensed. Eric offers securities as an investment adviser representative through Client One Securities, LLC.
  27. Eric purchases prospective client referrals from Annuity Guys Ltd. and may be compensated by commission for helping prospective clients purchase. Eric may also recommend these prospective clients to an advisor and earn a referral fee or a referral commission split.
  28. Vetted advisors refers to advisors that are insurance licensed and recommended based on referral experience from satisfied clients.
  29. Any recommendation of an advisor is only one aspect of any due diligence process. Each site visitor must accept full individual responsibility for choosing a licensed insurance agent/advisor.
  30. In the event that a recommended licensed advisor/agent is not considered satisfactory, Eric will make reasonable efforts to recommend other advisors one at a time in an attempt to satisfy a site visitors planning or purchasing needs.
  31. Dick is the website author and editor, Annuity Guys Ltd. is the website owner; Eric is a guest video commentator. Videos gathered from other public domain sources may also be used for educational and conceptual purposes.
  32. There is NO COST to site visitors when they are given an advisor referral or recommendation.
  33. By giving the us your contact information such as email, phone number, address and etc. you are giving your permission to be contacted or sent additional relevant information about annuities, retirement and related financial information. We have a NO SPAM policy.
  34. Accuracy of website information is strived for but is not guaranteed.
  35. Freedom from virus or malware is strived for but is not guaranteed. Website visitors accept any and all risk associated with damage to any computer for any reason when using this website and hold this website harmless from any liability.
  36. Use this website like the vast majority of websites at your own risk. No risk or liability of any type are accepted by any business entity or any of the information providers for this website.

Can Hybrid Annuities Beat Market Returns?

By

Do you remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? Hybrid annuities might be compared to the tortoise in Aesop’s fable because often slow and steady does indeed win the race.

Just like  the tortoise in Aesop’s story, hybrid annuities are steady and consistent in their pace; and while they may take an occasional break, they never go backwards. Like our friend, the hare, the equities markets at times run so fast and hard – they occasionally get out of control and crash…[continued below video]

Video: Annuity Guys, Dick and Eric, discuss hybrid annuities competing with the stock market.

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. 


 
…and when the (market) hare crashes, the tortoise just keeps on going and can get to the finish line first.

Will the tortoise win every time? No. Nor will the hybrid or fixed index annuity beat the equities markets most of the time. Like our friend, the tortoise, index annuities are designed for steady consistent results.

There are thousands of varieties of index annuities and strategies that can be chosen and some have more growth potential than others based upon their design . Everyone would like to have their cake and eat it too; but let’s be frank, some annuities perform better for income and others have greater growth potential – while others try to balance both growth and income (unfortunately, not excelling at either). Now, we don’t mean to shock you. But all of these annuities can beat the market – given the right conditions.

In a down market, even an annuity that only credits a zero surpasses the losses of 20 or 30 percent. Hybrid style annuities (aka fixed index annuities with an income rider) have the best opportunity to beat the  popular market indexes during periods of higher volatility because they can capture a portion of the upside market gains without experiencing any of the losses. So when the market acts like a roller coaster – shooting up and down  – index annuities have an advantage by periodically locking in their gains. However, based upon history, we can assume that eventually the markets will surpass the gains made by any annuity – given that you have enough time. Unfortunately, many retirees don’t have time to recover or the fortitude to accept the uncertainty of what the future may hold.

The elimination of investment risk and pension style income **guarantees are key factors for most retirees. Annuities can provide safety, security and peace of mind to retirees who know they may need their money to last twenty to thirty years or more while enjoying this stage of life. Hybrid annuities may occasionally beat the market but it is their rock-solid contractual **guarantees that more often than not make them attractive options for retirees.

Would you like to see the  Wharton Study Dick mentioned in the video – Wharton Study of Index Annuity Returns.


Using OutCome Based Planning™ for Your Retirement

We practice and recommend a "Holistic - OutCome Based Planning™ process when considering annuities." This approach has the effect of balancing your overall portfolio so you can meet your retirement objectives by "first identifying the least amount of your investments or savings (if any) that should be considered for annuities." OutCome Based Planning™ analyzes and models multiple outcomes so you can clearly identify your best income and growth opportunities.

"The Annuity Guys will only call if you request help". Hence, when you are ready for specialized help we will be available.
"Working with an Experienced Fiduciary Financial Planner can help you Avoid a Trial & Error or Risk Based Retirement"

This type of approach does take considerably more time, effort and analysis which will show you mathematically the successful possibilities by comparing various outcomes rather than trying to sell or convince you of that "so-called one best solution." Clients frequently tell us that this process removes some of the confusion and emotion to help them objectively identify a better retirement plan; rather than just ending up with the most convincing salesperson or advisor.

When requesting help you can be assured of working with an experienced Annuity Guys' Retirement Planner who is independently insurance licensed and securities licensed as a fiduciary financial planner having access to the vast majority of annuity companies in helping you choose the best annuities using a holistic-outcome based planning approach. We consider the high quality advisor recommendations we make to our website visitors as a direct reflection back on our commitment to serve all client's with a high standard of excellence in financial planning for retirement.

Based on survey feedback on advisors from our website visitors, we eliminated about two-hundred local advisors and now only recommend a few that we consider experienced vetted Annuity Guys' Fiduciary Advisors. Many local advisors continue requesting us to recommend them as a vetted advisor. However, our reputation and future business is driven only by satisfied website visitors. So, unfortunately we've had to tell the vast majority of local advisors no, since we changed our business model four years ago. At that time we stopped trying to satisfy everyone with local advisors, we now primarily work with individuals who are comfortable using today's internet technology to their fullest advantage by working with a select group of vetted, experienced and knowledgeable Annuity Guys' Fiduciary Planners.


Fiduciary Retirement Review
Priority Mail - Free Shipping!Our Gift to You

After confirming your request for help and shipping address by phone, we will immediately send your FREE personally signed Library Edition of our popular Annuity Reference Book "The New Retirement" plus Fact-Filled, Full Video Access!


Selecting the Best Annuity & Retirement Income Advisor

Are you willing to work with one of our retirement and annuity advisors based on their experience and expertise as a first priority rather than being limited by a local or regional area? The good news is that technology has forever eliminated our geographical limitations and leveled the playing field for everyone! As a result of today's technological advances, all of us can now work confidently with experts in any field including personal finance. We are no longer confined by regional or local boundaries limiting our choices and ultimate success. A high quality advisor is now as close as a click or phone call away.

Video:"Choose a National or Local Advisor"?
"There is no room for trial and error when it comes to choosing MarketFree® Annuities or a Successful Retirement Planner."
When you think about it, your money is almost always in some other state with a custodian; whether invested in the market or with an annuity insurance company, the advisors competence is primarily needed when positioning your money initially. So working with a specialized expert in a financial discipline like investments or retirement planning is imperative. There are no undo buttons in retirement! Once the annuities get set up correctly, it is customary and more efficient for owners to benefit by having direct access to the issuer instead of having to go through the agent. And, of course any reputable advisor, local or national, is more than willing to assist their clients if needed after they are implemented.
Video:"Why These 3 Types of Annuity Advisors are Not Created Equal"
"There are no undo buttons in retirement so it is vitally important that you do it right the first time!"

We are fortunate to have a select few who we believe are truly the highest qualified advisors out of about two hundred licensed insurance agents that we eliminated. Your survey feedback is what helps us make these tough decisions. Our advisors have an independent financial practice, specializing in annuities and retirement planning, which helps ensure that you are given the best options available for your retirement planning.

Video: "How Much of Your Money Should You Consider Placing into Annuities"?
"It takes an experienced expert to know how to structure annuities for income, inflation, growth, return of principal, and tax advantage."

"Anyone can sell you an annuity; however, it takes a truly qualified and experienced advisor to know how to structure them for income, inflation, growth, return of principal, and tax advantage. Typically, there is not just one that can accomplish all of these objectives. It is how an advisor structures multiple annuities in balancing your total portfolio that makes it possible to achieve your most important retirement objectives."

Video: "How to Choose a Great retirement Advisor"?

Why Searching for the Best Annuities on Your Own Can be so Frustrating...

Almost everyone nowadays turns to the internet for answers on everything - from buying new widgets to researching just about everything under the sun; and finding the best annuity is no exception!At first, it may seem that researching will be straightforward but the more time you spend researching them, the more frustrating it can be. Why is this? First of all, it does not take long to realize that gimmicks abound - such as warnings and alerts from salesmen who just want your attention so they can sell you one or the "too good to be true" claims of 8% to 14% **guaranteed interest and of course the claim that you can get the full market upside with no downside risk! If you have done any research you have heard all of these claims in advertising which are mostly half truths and not fully explained.So how can you find the best annuities on the internet? The truth is... you can't! And what is even more frustrating is all the conflicting points of view from so called experts. There are well over 6,000 different annuities - all designed for different reasons, so is it any wonder that the deck is stacked against the average researcher or do-it-yourselfer. Add to that the fact that they pay high enough commissions to attract a plethora of both good and bad agents. This does not make annuities good or bad; they are simply a financial tool that truly benefit those who use them correctly.How can you find the best annuities for your unique situation?
  • Use the internet cautiously;
  • Work with a vetted and experienced specialist;
  • Do not settle for that one dubious best plan. Compare multiple Outcome Based Plans to decide on the one that is truly best for you;
  • Be keenly aware of scare tactics and hyperbole - avoid those advisors and websites;
  • Avoid websites that are focused on rushing free reports, rates and quotes to get your contact information they are rushing you to speak with them, instead, take your time and choose someone you are more comfortable with that works on your time-table;
  • Know the Five Vital Factors (listed above) that an experienced specialist must answer before helping you select the best options for your situation;
  • Watch this telling video "Avoid Annuity Gimmicks, Amateurs and Charlatans"...

Video: "Avoiding Gimmicks, Scams & Charlatans"

  ** 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.
They 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 our website visitors. Dick Van Dyke semi-retired from his Investment Advisory Practice in 2012 and now focuses on this website. He still maintains his insurance license in good standing and assists his current clients.
Our 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.)


Site Terms & Disclosure

  1. All tools, videos or information visible on this website's pages, television, or other media are for educational and conceptual purposes only.
  2. Tools, videos or information are not to be considered investment advice, insurance recommendations, tax or legal advice.
  3. It is recommended that site visitors should work with licensed professionals for individualized advice before making any important or final financial decisions on what is best for his or her situation.
  4. Website comments are not considered investor testimonials those shown only relate to an insurance agent referral service, customer service, or satisfaction with the purchase of insurance products and are never based on any investment or securities advice or investment or securities performance.
  5. Please be aware that your feedback and compliments may be shared with our visitors or those that may be interested in our services we will never give out your full name or full address or phone number without your permission. By sending us your feedback & comments you agree to allow us full use in sharing your comments with others in public forums. Thank you for sharing.
  6. Media logos are not any type of endorsement, they only imply that one or more of the Annuity Guys have written for, been quoted by, or appeared on the listed news outlet, broadcast or cable channels, or branded programs for non-advertising and/or advertising purposes, to offer educational and conceptual information about retirement issues.
  7. Income is guaranteed by annuitization or income riders that may have additional costs or fees.
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Can a Hybrid Annuity Uncapped Index Pay Higher Interest?

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Should annuity buyers be giddy because they can own an annuity with no limiting upside cap and of market loss? Well, maybe, since we are now in the new annuity era of the low volatility index.

If you are a prospective annuity buyer you should consider this new strategy for good reason. First and foremost, these are uncapped indexes with seemingly unlimited upside potential; however, before any irrational exuberance kicks in… [continued below video]

Video: Annuity Guys Dick and Eric discuss the pros and cons of the new low volatility indexes.

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. 

and you sign the next annuity contract you see, please understand that each of these volatility control indexes does have some limiting factors. One such limiting factor used to increase upside potential is the result of a mathematical formula that works similar to a tactically managed investment account that moves in and out of market allocations based upon predetermined triggers. For example: in times of higher volatility these indexes will often move more toward a safe money strategy of weighting more of the index in a cash or bond position. Conversely, when the volatility is low the index will be weighted more toward the equities side.

Another limiting factor of these uncapped indexes is the ability for the insurance company to apply a standard fee or a spread charge. The spread charge/fee is the most common cost associated with these uncapped indexes. It allows the insurance company to take the first few percentage points of growth (typically 2-4%) and then credit your account with everything above that amount. For example: if the spread is 2.0% and the index gains 8.0%, your account will be credited 6.0%. What makes these spread fees more attractive than other charges? If the index has a down or negative year, there is no charge or cost to your account. Just to be clear, with all fixed index annuities your principal is protected and if the index finishes negative, your account will be credited at 0% – it will never reduce your account balance.

Not all of these uncapped indexes were created the same – some are easier to track and have ticker symbols and locations you can find online. Others appear to have been created just for the insurance company and the only research available on them is available through the insurance companies brochures.

Perhaps the biggest warning we can share with these uncapped volatility indexes is the need for realistic expectations. We have seen the historical numbers showing annual gains of 15-20% and they look wonderful, but don’t be wowed by the outlying numbers. Realize that these indexes were designed to provide modest gains that should allow you to share in a portion of the success of the index in the good years while protecting you from losses in the bad years. If you enter an annuity contract expecting stock market type returns, you will likely be disappointed.

This strategy is the current “rage” in the industry. It seems like every insurance company has released a new annuity or a new indexing strategy which utilizes an uncapped low volatility index. So you need to understand how these newer indexes work and if this strategy fits your risk profile.

As annuity guys, we appreciate this innovation and this strategy because it is easier for most clients to understand and grasp than explaining participation rates and index cap limits.

 


 

Hybrid Annuity Sales Hit All Time Highs! Do You Know Why?

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Record numbers of retirees and savers are flocking to fixed and fixed index annuities – why?

For many baby boomers , the great recession is still ingrained into their thoughts as they make plans for their retirement. The thought of losing 30-40% or more of their portfolio in the stock market has sent them out seeking safer growth options; while other baby boomers seek the safeguard of knowing that they will have lifetime **guarantees for their foundational income in retirement.

The insurance industry is on pace to issue $100,000,000,000.00 (that’s one hundred billion dollars) in just fixed and fixed index annuities this year alone! With banks offering safe money rates that hover just over zero, we should not be surprised by the number of people flocking into contractually **guaranteed growth and income options. However, this is most likely not the only reason for this level of annuity sales growth. Annuities have traditionally paid better rates than the banks so the growth of sales should not be based upon higher interest rates alone. [continued below video…]

Video: Annuity Guys, Dick & Eric, discuss why it seems like everyone wants a “hybrid” Fixed Index Annuity!

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. 

According to AARP, about 8000 people will turn 65 everyday from now until 2029. These baby boomers have seen one of the greatest bull markets of all time during the eighties and nineties followed by substantial market volatility and more recently a “lost decade” of market gains. They appear to be interested in preserving their wealth and income in retirement and many are willing to give up some of the market’s upside potential to protect against market backslides. There may not be empirical evidence to support the fact that retirees are valuing the **guarantees that annuities offer, but the dollars seem to be speaking loudly that boomers believe that annuities are a good option for retirement planning.

Is now the right time to join the crowd moving a portion of one’s savings into fixed or hybrid fixed index annuities? It depends – do you feel the need to protect retirement dollars from losses resulting from the next big correction in the equities market? Do you want a predictable, stable income stream that you cannot outlive? Do you wish you had your parents company sponsored pension plan? Does the fear of outliving or losing your money keep you up at night? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to join the millions of satisfied annuity owners who value the way these financial products secure their retirement.

The inspiration for this weeks entry came from our friends at the Insured Retirement Institute.

IRI Second-Quarter 2014 Annuity Sales Report: Industry-Wide Sales at Highest Level in Three Years

Indexed Annuities Power Fixed Annuity Sales to Five-Year High; Variable Annuity Sales Up from First Quarter

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) today announced final second-quarter 2014 sales results for the U.S. annuity industry, based on data reported by Beacon Research and Morningstar, Inc. Reaching the highest mark in three years, industry-wide annuity sales in the second quarter of 2014 rose to $59.9 billion, a 6.8 percent increase from $56.1 billion in the previous quarter and a 9.9 percent increase from $54.5 billion in the second quarter of 2013.

Fixed annuity sales – supported by record fixed indexed annuity sales – increased to $24.3 billion in the second quarter of 2014, according to Beacon Research. This was a 7.6 percent increase from $22.6 billion in the previous quarter and a 41.6 percent increase from $17.1 billion in the second quarter of 2013. Variable annuity total sales reached $35.6 billion in the second quarter of 2014, according to Morningstar. This was a 6.2 percent increase from $33.5 billion in the first quarter of 2014, but a 4.6 percent decline from $37.3 billion in the second quarter of 2013.

“These are the highest industry-wide sales we’ve seen in three years, and on the fixed side of the market, the highest in five years,” said Cathy Weatherford, IRI President and CEO. “We continue to see moderate growth, driven by consumer need for protection and income, in all types of retirement income products, and more robust growth in certain products based on the macroeconomic conditions of the day. For example, the market is currently experiencing a surge in the sale of fixed indexed annuities that – in addition to offering upside potential with downside protection and access to **guaranteed lifetime income – can be used by consumers as an alternative to traditional fixed income investments without the interest rate risk.”

According to Beacon Research, continued growth in fixed annuity sales were largely supported by a surge in fixed indexed annuity sales, which hit a new quarterly record of $12.9 billion in the second quarter of 2014. This represents a 14.8 percent increase from first-quarter 2014 sales of $11.2 billion and a 41.5 percent increase from second-quarter 2013 sales of $9.1 billion. Income annuity sales also rose during the second quarter of 2014, topping $3.39 billion – a 3.2 percent increase from nearly $3.29 billion in the previous quarter and a 32.7 percent jump from $2.56 billion in the second quarter of 2013. For the entire fixed annuity market, there were approximately $12.5 billion in qualified sales and $11.8 billion in non-qualified sales during the second quarter of 2014. [Read More…]

 


 

Are Annuity Complaints on the Rise?

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Mom always said; “If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all.”

Well, we want you to know that this rule does not apply to annuities. As Annuity Guys®, we may be a tad-bit more sensitive to reading the negativity spewed by some writers when it comes to annuities; however, it does appear that any increase in complaints by investors or consumers just comes down to one particular type of annuity – the variable annuity#.

Watch as Dick and Eric discuss complaints on annuities and other financial products.

[embedit snippet=”video-specialist-button”]

 

**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.

Overall, annuity complaints actually decreased in 2013, but for the popular media it appears to be a lot more fun to talk about the high commissions, high fees, and bad advisors that offer theses products. You really have to dig to find an article that compares the number of complaints from mutual fund^s and stock transactions — which far outpace those from annuity sales.

As Annuity Guys®, we are on record as stating that an annuity is not where you should put all your money, but it can be a great location to place dollars that will used to fund retirement income. Annuities are a financial tool and when used properly can alleviate risk to your portfolio.

You would never guess this article cites the fact that nine out of ten annuity owners are at least somewhat satisfied…

 Angry Annuity Clients Seek Damages

By Matthew Heimer

When stock markets are humming along nicely, customers are less likely to complain about their brokers and financial advisers: 2013 was on pace to be the fourth year in a row of sharp declines in the number of arbitration cases filed with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (Finra), the brokerage industry’s self-regulatory body. But as Matthias Rieker reports this week in The Wall Street Journal, complaints about one kind of investment remain stubbornly high. The outlier: Variable annuities.

Variable annuities usually offer a retirement saver a **guaranteed future payout, along with a chance of increasing the value of the saver’s initial investment depending on how markets perform; investments in many of these annuities can be tax-deferred. But they’ve long exasperated consumer advocates because of their relatively high commissions and fees, along with their often-impenetrable rules about what, exactly, an investor’s account is worth at any given time.

As Rieker reports, “In 2012, the variable annuity# was the only class of security for which arbitration claims increased”; last year, the total number of annuity complaints dropped about 20%, but complaints in other asset categories dropped far faster. […Read More at MarketWatch]

Video Transcription:

Dick: And I’m Dick.
Eric: Hello, I’m Eric and we’re the annuity guys.
Dick: Well, Eric, are annuity complaints on the rise.
Eric: No… Yes.. No… Ours? no!
Dick: Depends on which annuity complaints you want to talk about.                                                                       Eric: And that’s exactly the case. And then we see the black eye of the industry coming out in the open ever again with the old variable annuity#.
Dick: Well, and that’s something that has been on the rise are variable annuity# complaints and it runs the gammon from the fees and the surrender charges and loosing money when stocks go the wrong way.
Eric: You can loose money.
Dick: But what’s very interesting is the fixed annuities which would take in that hybrid annuity and everything. We’ve seen those complaints go down steadily. They kinda of hit the peak somewhere around 2006 – 2007; roughly around 200 complaints. And folks, when you think about this, 200 complaints over ten of thousands of folks that buy annuities in a given year; that’s not a lot of complaints. But now, they’ve actually  tapered down. Fixed indexed annuities sales have been way up and their complaints have tapered down to – last year – i think around 54 complaints for the entire year.
Eric: Even when we look at the variable annuity# complaints – one hundred sixty-five complaints on variable annuity#.
Dick: That is not a huge number.
Eric: And we should very clearly clarify here that when somebody complains about annuity, it’s typically not because of the annuity design, it’s  not the insurance company; unfortunately, it’s guys like us.                       Dick: Annuity guys.
Eric: Annuity guys or people that want to be annuity guys…
Dick: I beg your pardon.
Eric: -Who don’t fully understand the product. They don’t explain it very well, so they have consumers confused and they don’t know which direction they’re going; and their inability to articulate what product….
Dick: And Eric, this does not show up later when the person has the policy ans they have some need. They need to get additional money or they need to turn their income on or whatever; and it does not work the way they were told that was supposed to work.
Eric: They get caught with the sizzle side perhaps; the 5 percent **guaranteed roll up for income and deferral.
Dick: Or they though they’re going to earn 5 percent every year, **guaranteed. They see their account dropped a couple of years in a raw and they’re like “hey, this is not what I bought?”
Eric: That’s right! “That’s not what you’re told me”… and that’s where the complaints come from. And I guess, really to be fair to the annuity industry, we should say the number of complaints in comparison to the mutual fund^s…
Dick: Or the securities industry… and that literally, looking at the reports that we’ve been looking at I think the SEC last year had over ten thousand total complaints. Now, that’s a lot of complaints. And we tend to not see that. What’s interesting about this is that we don’t see that in this financial articles a lot; we don’t a lot who talked about that.
Eric: I think we don’t want to talk about the thing we don’t want to know.
Dick: But we see a lot of talk about “ohh, this annuity this, this annuity that.” And I’ve seen now that the populous has become a little more educated about annuities; a little more understanding us out there; I’m seeing less of these negative articles showing up.
Eric: Well, I wish I could say I see less of that. Maybe I’m drawn to… it’s like everybody has a newspaper article or blog like to pick on it. The topic of this one, “Angry annuity client seek damages.” Now, that does not say “you know, really…” If you look at proportion, it’s not nearly as bad as the people with stocks that are three, four or five times as many complaints. It’s people…. the highlights….
Dick: It crabs attention and it sells advertising; and this is part of the industry. And folks, really, when you get down to why annuities are so popular and why they have so few complaints? It is because they actually do the opposite of what the market does; they make your money safe.
Eric: Right. Safety first.
Dick: It’s right.
Eric: And that’s why i always qrench when I see people that have newspaper articles – I’m not going to mention their names because they don’t deserve the heck. They’re like ohh, I like the brokers advice until they recommended an index annuity.
Dick: You would not be thinking about Malcolm Berko.
Eric: Yes, I would. I’m thinking of him too. It gives us bad names because we are in the index annuity world; we understand how they work, we understand where the benefits are and unfortunately, people that don’t live in our world…
Dick: And if you’re just, as Bill O’Reilly says “fair and balance”, there are ways that annuities can be used wrong, ways that are used correctly; they’re just simply a financial tool.
Eric: That’s exactly right. Annuities are great way to make sure you don’t live too long. It’s longevity, it’s guarding against outliving your money and we talked about that being the strength in the cornerstone.
Dick: The principle of protection; protecting what you’ve put into an annuity in terms of premium and you know that you’ll never go backwards – we’re talking about fixed annuity – and obviously, the variable is.
Eric: And we have some issues of the variable annuities# ourselves because we don’t like to loose money and we don’t like for our clients to loose money.
Dick: Yes, we don’t like for our clients to loose money. So, are they on the rise or it depends on rather you’re talking about which type of annuity?
Eric: It depends if you’re in our office because in our office, not so much.
Dick: The complaints are under control.
Eric: That’s right.
Dick: Thank you.

Can Annuities Save Your Assets?

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There is an old saying that goes – “there is nothing **guaranteed in this life other than death, annuities and taxes.”

Well, that might not be exactly how it goes, but you definitely cannot put pensions on the **guaranteed list anymore.

In Illinois we have just passed pension reform in the legislature. Pension reform sounds nice, but what it translates into for retired state employees is not so nice; and for those retirees, it means losing promised relied upon income and benefits.

However, that may end up being minor compared to the impact of the bankruptcy Detroit is facing. This may lead to an avalanche of bankruptcies as cities and municipalities try to find a means to deal with their bloated deficits based on under-funded pension liabilities.

Watch as Dick and Eric discuss why many retirees are scrambling to save their ASSets! lol (Pun intended)

**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.

What does this mean for pensioners in these systems? We’re wagering it will mean at the very least reduced substantially benefits and incomes – driving many towards increased participation in annuities.

Why more annuity participation?

In an era of deficits and reducing benefits, people want safety and **guarantees – contractual **guarantees that will stand up in a court of law not easily broken legislative promises.  Annuities can provide a degree of income certainty as the public sector debates the benefits of programs like Social Security and Medicare.

Annuities offered by solid companies can help all of us weather these turbulent economic times to create a stable foundational income – for life. Will an annuity be required for the successful retirement of the future? Who knows? We do know, however, that studies continue to show that annuity owners have a greater probability of having enough income throughout retirement than those who do not.

You must decide if an annuity will help empower your retirement.

Detroit eligible for nation’s largest municipal bankruptcy filing, federal judge rules

By Michael A. Fletcher and Reid Wilson at WashingtonPost.com

A federal bankruptcy judge granted Detroit unprecedented powers Tuesday to shed billions of dollars in debt, including the ability to slash city employee pensions despite a state constitutional provision protecting them.

In approving the nation’s ­largest-ever municipal filing, Judge Steven Rhodes cleared the way for Detroit’s emergency manager to develop a plan to reorganize the city’s estimated $18 billion in debt. Beyond cutting worker pensions and retiree health benefits, the city could stiff bondholders and sell city assets such as its water and sewer authority and its priceless art collection.

Municipal bankruptcy experts called particular attention to Rhodes’s decision to allow pensions to be put on the chopping block. Some said the move would set a precedent for future municipal bankruptcies. And unions vowed to appeal the decision.

“This is the first opinion of its kind where a bankruptcy court has directly expressed the view that the supremacy of U.S. bankruptcy laws trumps state constitutional protections of public pension holders,” (emphasis added) said Mark S. Kaufman, senior partner at McKenna, Long & Aldridge, an Atlanta law firm. “The implications of that decision are significant not only to Detroit but also potentially to other cities gauging their level of fiscal distress and how to deal with it.” [Read More…]

Video Transcription:

Eric: Hi, I’m Eric.
Dick: And I’m Dick. We’re the annuity guys.
Eric: You think we’re going get in trouble with the topic today, Dick.
Dick: Well, there’s a little pun intended there. We’re talking about saving your ass-ets… or your proverbial rear end.
Eric: And the reason that the topic came up is because it’s kind of forefront in the news right now.
Dick: It is.
Eric: … looking at what’s going on around…
Dick: Well, Detroit what’s got us going, the ruling.
Eric: Detroit and Illinois because…
Dick: Well, we’re falling apart in Illinois.
Eric: We’re close to home here… the pension reform meaning we’re going to take some..
Dick: We’re going to take some of what we promised you back. And that ruling in Detroit by the judge just recently said in essence “folks, your out a lot.”
Eric: Your pension benefits may not be what was **guaranteed. Now, they said what I think they technically said is “the amount we promised you is not **guaranteed.
Dick: So, imagine that. I mean what does that throw into question Eric?
Eric: Well, and that’s… for me it throws into question that I was promised as a retiree. If I’m **guaranteed or I think I’m
**guaranteed of a lifetime pension from the company I work or the municipality that i work for, what does that mean about what’s on the table right now as far as **guarantees from that side of it?
Dick: Exactly.
Eric: And as a planner, it’s also got me feeling a little bit disconcern because we work with people. A lot of times we start with – what are you receiving from Social Security? What are you receiving from pension? And if all these things that we think are **guarantees that we’re basing the future income on, are all of a sudden on the table as far as reductions without any consultation of the person getting reduced, then there’s a lot of this concerns going on.
Dick: So many times folks you come to Eric and I through the website or when we work with the local client, it’s kind of a plan A – how can we establish that income, set it up for that income shortfall, or that need in retirement. But more and more, it’s becoming about the plan B – and that is we can’t rely on our pensions, we can’t rely on our social security. Many times – even the private pensions – they’re offering the lumpsums, the buy outs…
Eric: GM , Ford…  we’ve had a lot of conversations with folks in those areas that have said “hey, I’ve got a choice of taking this or this.” Well, for those guys, I’m a lot more comfortable now because Ford and MGM got out of the pension business. They decided “let’s give it to a professional that can manage it” and Detroit says “do you want to take the dollars yourself and manage them, maybe with the assistance of an annuity or let a real annuity manage it?” So, I feel better for those folks now
than I did when Ford and GM are managing their own pensions.
Dick: When we look at the traditional 401K and IRA, and what people are left with and their own savings to plan their future, their retirement; the actual, according to the Dal Bar studies and different studies out there, the average investor doesn’t pay so well. So to really literally rely on the markets to carry you through retirement, most folks are coming or have come to the conclusion that “I can’t do that.” So what they’re doing is they are looking at that fallback position “what can get me through my retirement years?” And amazingly, annuities, which had been there for hundreds of years proven track record come back to the forefront.. it’s like “hey, this is what I’m looking at, this is what I believe is what I need.”
Eric: Well, and I know studies out there that show for the highest degree of success or the likelihood of success and having enough income in retirement, having an annuity as a piece of that retirement increases that level of success…
Dick: Dramatically. I mean you go from like a seventy-three or seventy-five percent success rate with the stocks and bonds I think was an ibids to study we were looking at a while back to a ninety-nine percent success rate; and that means a lot to folks. I mean, the thought of being one out five or one out of four that fails; when you’ve saved these assets all your life and you have to have them to carry you through.
Eric: We talk about protecting the foundational aspects of income with pension, Social Security, and annuity; well, it may be reversed now that we start talking about what kind of an annuity do you need to have to protect your income in the future, then we’ll add on that pension and social security, and hope that that cost of living still stays in place.
Dick: Well… and that does become that plan B. And for many folks that have got plan A in place that will work well if everything holds together, it’s what do I do for my plan B – because I don’t know. And we have actually sat down with clients and they’ve like look… “I don t even want to consider social security. I don’t want to consider this. I wanna look at what I can do for myself. And that I’m going to look at as the gravy.” Now, we take a more middle-of-the-road view than that but that plan B is becoming more and more important. And so folks, you might be thinking some of those same thoughts and you’re not alone because it is a real concern.
Eric: Yes. Alright. We’ll Dick, in summary here, if we’re saying yes annuities can saveour assets…
Dick: Yes.
Eric: What would we say are the kind of primary reasons why we would rely on annuities?
Dick: Well, first of all Eric, its safety. They’re very, very safe. You can rely on an annuity for future income; lifetime future income. You  don’t know how long you’ll going to live. you don’t want your money to run out. So, for that foundational portion, you can rely on it for the income; and the aspect of safely growing assets and protecting them along the way with the plan B in place to protect. I believe that annuities really do give us that position to protect us and literally save our rears.
Eric: Saving those assets: safety, **guarantees, lifetime income.                                                                                                           Dick: Thank you.

Give Money to an Internet Annuity Advisor! Are You Crazy?

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We don’t work with crazy people (okay, maybe a couple, LOL), but we do work with a lot of sincere folks who first met us; after doing some internet research and then turned over a sizeable portion of their life savings in return for some annuities!

So, is this crazy or wise? It is really decided by two primary issues: First; working with the most capable advisor when you are choosing and structuring annuities. Second; understanding that you don’t really give your money to any advisor local or national.  Your retirement dollars along with millions of other retirement dollars are housed with a financial custodian, such as a brokerage or insurance company, usually hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

**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.

We all want the best possible options; whether that be the best car, best house or best retirement annuities. Sometimes, we settle for “what they have” when making choices based upon local convenience. When it comes to your retirement, you should never “settle for what they have.”  As a result of the technology that exists today you can work with an annuity advisor without regard to distance one who understands your objectives and can help you identify the best possible options for a safer and more comfortable retirement. Designing a portfolio for retirement should mean a transition from an accumulation advisor to a retirement income advisor. Just like you would not let your local general practitioner perform open-heart surgery on you – you also should consider consulting with a specialist when the challenge of retirement is upon you.

Technology now makes it possible to work face to face with the best retirement and annuity advisors having any distance reduced to just a couple of clicks .  This may seem like a radical idea to a few; but for many, it has been nothing more than best practices. Once folks grasp the concept of a financial custodian as the actual caretaker of their money it then becomes much more important to locate a true expert who specializes in annuities so that their initial plan is done absolutely right the first time (with no do-overs!).

According to Investopedia the definition of a “Custodian” is:

A financial institution that holds customers’ securities for safekeeping so as to minimize the risk of their theft or loss. A custodian holds securities and other assets in electronic or physical form. Since they are responsible for the safety of assets and securities that may be worth hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars, custodians generally tend to be large and reputable firms.

So who do you want holding your assets, the advisor or the custodian? If you said the advisor — We cannot help you.

Lastly, who do you want helping you chose the optimal outcome for a safer, more secure and comfortable retirement? The local generalist or an an advisor that specializes in annuities?

Transcription:

Dick: Hello I’m Dick.

Eric; And I’m Eric and we’re the annuity guys.

Dick: Eric, are folks crazy to go out on the Internet and actually hand their money to an annuity specialist?

Eric: They must be crazy for handing it through… for shoving it through the disk or drive. That’s the misnomer; people say I got this chunk of cash; you want me to give it to somebody?

Dick: and folks feel like they’re doing something unusual or something that’s crazy; but when you really start to analyze it in terms of where that money goes and how that money is used effectively for their purposes, it always goes to some other place. It goes to a custodian – a third party. The advantage to working with someone on the Internet that is a true specialist is exactly that.

Eric: You can work with the best versus just working with somebody that’s around the corner because they’re there and I think that’s the challenge most people have to overcome. The reason this topic came up is people often calls us; we’ve referred to an advisor to them; why did you not refer the local guy?

Dick: Well, we love to.

Eric: First of all…

Dick: We’ve tried that.

Eric: We would rather refer the best guy and I’ll tell you what, in our practice we redefine local. Local is not just in our neighborhood; local is fifty states.

Dick: Yes, because local is as quick as a click away.

Eric: That’s right.

Dick: We can talk to an advisor; I can talk to an advisor in Texas; Allen or Rob. I can talk to them faster than I can get you Eric.

Eric: That’s right. A lot of times we can say “hey, Paul…” and Paul is five dials away and me, I’m just stuck behind the door at the back.

Dick: Eric! But that is the truth. And what we got to come back to folks is that technology today has changed everything. It’s all leveled the playing field. You no longer would consider looking around for someone to do an organ transplant locally or you know a serious heart operation or you name it. When it comes to medical elective surgeries, you’ll shop. You get on the internet. You do your research and you jump on the airplane a go where it’s best, and next to…

Eric: Well I was going to say how is retirement planning starting now? Typically with you setting up a 401K or retirement planner or your employer, it’s not like those dollars are just sitting on your bosses top drawer You’re literally setting up those accounts. Most often, they’re configured and then you’re in-charge in making the changes; you’re logging into TD Ameritrade or fidelity or TRowe Price; and you’re manipulating those accounts. Those dollars are not sitting right there; you’re working with a place that’s giving the tools to be more efficient, more affective. The planning tools are there; everything’s online so you have immediate access.

Dick: Right.

Eric: The same as…

Dick: Well, there’s been this consolidation in the annuity industry which is very similar in a sense that everything is coming down to the expert; down to the specialist; down to that aggregator or the person who has the greatest access and availability; and works with more folks and sees more things. And their specialization, their abilities continue to grow and increase; and the local person unfortunately doesn’t have that same advantage.

Eric: Right and we’ve seen many advisory and we always call them accumulation specialists that have done a great job helping you build up your savings to a certain stage. Now it’s time for retirement, well you’re accumulation specialist may not be the same guy that’s going to help you with retirement.

Dick: It takes whole different skill set. And I come back to this whole thing about the healthcare. When it comes down to choosing a specialist, I look at financial situations in people’s lives is being on par, it’s somewhere up there with those health care decision. This is going to be your entire retirement and if you don’t work with somebody who really knows how to get it right in the first place, a having that local guy is not necessarily going to be the best answer.

Eric: Yes and I guess I had never thought about it being heart surgery probably don’t get to do too many do over. They take the one out…

Dick: There’s only one shot.

Eric: Retirements much the same way. You want to compare the best way the first time. So working with somebody the best people possible should be first and foremost in your retirement planning mindset than necessarily working with the guy around the corner.

Dick: Right. And Eric when it comes to referrals, we do work with some folks from our website and we have our local practice but when it comes to referrals we’ve had to basically do the same thing. We’ve had to choose the best of the best!

Government Shutdowns Affect Annuities

By

Can you feel the impending doom of the government shutdown?

Every night, it seems that the media cannot wait to tell us how bad it will be when it happens – and whose fault it will be. One talking head tells us the sky is falling followed by a response from another talking head telling us that it is not likely that we will let the sky fall all the way – because no one in their right mind really wants to see that happen.

So, rather than spread the doom and gloom, the Annuity Guys® look to answer the questions that really matter to people who are getting ready to retire and those considering annuities for a portion of their retirement.

Watch as Dick and Eric discuss:

  • What is going to happen to your retirement if the political wrangling in Washington continues?
  • How would a federal government default affect bonds and annuities?

 

**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.

Obama Says Real Boss in Default Showdown Means Bonds Call Shots

By David J. Lynch and Cordell Eddings | Bloomberg

President Barack Obama knows who is the boss: the bond market.

“Ultimately, what matters is: What do the people who are buying Treasury bills think?” the president told reporters this week, when discussing measures he could take to end the threat of a historic default on the nation’s debt.

Even with the U.S. budget deficit down by more than half since 2009 as a percentage of the economy, the Congressional Budget Office says the government this fiscal year will need to borrow an average of almost $11 billion each week. That’s why Obama is so sensitive to what investors will tolerate.

“The market is the final arbiter of any policy, the ultimate barometer and enforcement mechanism,” says Russ Certo, a managing director at Brean Capital LLC in New York. “The market holds risk-takers and policy makers accountable.”

After weeks of confidently expecting a resolution of the standoff in Washington over the government shutdown and the debt ceiling, bond investors this week began to betray nervousness in their approach to short-term government borrowing.

The yield they demanded at the Oct. 8 auction of four-week Treasury securities almost tripled from a week earlier, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew highlighted in testimony before the Senate Finance Committee yesterday. The government was forced to pay 0.35 percent for four-week borrowings, up from 0.12 percent.

Endorsing Deal

The White House yesterday endorsed a short debt-limit increase with no policy conditions attached, signaling potential support for a Republican plan that would push off the lapse in U.S. borrowing authority through Nov. 22 rather than Oct. 17. Rates for all Treasury bills maturing through Nov. 14 fell in response, while those with due dates between then and Jan. 2rose. At a meeting with Republican leaders later in the day, Obama neither accepted nor rejected the party’s plan. The two sides will continue discussions.

Obama’s deference to bond investors is reminiscent of the last Democratic president, Bill Clinton, whose economic agenda in 1993 was eclipsed by demands for deficit reduction. The belt-tightening was followed by four straight budget surpluses later in the decade, prompting Alan Greenspan, the then-Federal Reserve Board chairman, to predict the end of the Treasury market. Bond buyers’ clout ebbed.

More than a decade later, surpluses are a fading memory and the bond market has regained its swagger. Yet unlike in the Clinton era when the danger of rising yields kept government spending in check, the market now is exercising discipline only after several years of record federal outlays and borrowing.

‘2008 Event’

“The one market that is behaving more as if a 2008 event is around the corner is the T-bill market — one must wonder if this is the proverbial canary in the coal mine,” David Rosenberg, chief economist at Gluskin Sheff in Toronto, wrote to clients this week.

Investors’ sudden awareness of the danger in Washington also can be seen in the difference between what banks pay to borrow from each other and the yield on one-month U.S.government debt. This so-called TED spread turned negative this week for the first time since Bloomberg began collecting such data in 2001, meaning investors regard banks as a better credit risk than the U.S. government.

Jack McIntyre, who oversees $44.5 billion at Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC in Philadelphia, said slow economic growth, low inflation, and accommodating central banks explain why 10-year Treasury yields are little changed from Obama’s first month in office, even as federal borrowing has soared. […Read More at Bloomberg]

Transcription:

Eric: Hi, I’m Eric.

Dick: And I’m Dick. We’re the annuity guys. And Eric, big government shutdown.

Eric: Government shutdown. We’re talking about right now obviously the United States is kind of imperil I guess where the people is like threat… the looming…

Dick: We’re on the threshold… we’re on the brink of disaster…

Eric: That’s right. Here comes the default, we’re all going to the heck of a hand basket. You know, we’ve already seen what happened in Greece and all of Europe over the last couple of years…

Dick: Which is very real and stronger markets into total mess and we’re feeling a little of it.

Eric: Yes. So, the threat of default a lot of times we go through this political pressure in the economic market and what we see is how they react and they keep on trying to anticipate what they think the government is going to do…. and I think we finally saw the first the market is kind of blink just here recently and it’s like they said “I don’t know if I want to own your death?

Dick: And political will tends to waiver very quickly and we were reading an article on that this morning; but political will is very quickly dictated to by the markets and politicians think that somehow they’re going to dictate a policy just based in a vacuum of what they want and they realize real quickly that they can’t do that.

Eric: Well, and I guess we should get a little bit history when we start talking about annuities and how annuities are impacted by bonds, it’s kind of a mixed bag really because you would toy to think when bond rates go up so do the rates on annuities which is generally because you have insurance companies are buying bonds to basically pay off their annuity holder.

Dick: Yes.

Eric: but when you have annuities that are ricocheting up and down and you have instability in the market, that’s really what makes a lot of people nervous.

Dick: Right. Well and the annuities, generally speaking Eric, what they do so well is they insulate against the volatility of the market and the risk in that is in most portfolios, and as you well know when you go back to the just the standard portfolios that we’ve all been recommended is generally everywhere all over the internet… you need a mix of bonds, you need a mix some stock, and just talked about it regularly.

Eric: Yes, just a rule of thumb – it’s all based of your age, you take your age and subtract if from a hundred and there’s your mix of bonds and equities. I’ll be honest. I’ve been having conversations with people telling them that they may want to consider eliminating some of their bond possessions – maybe all of them – and replacing them with annuities for the very reasons you’re just mentioning. That when you look at you know, you can eliminate the market declines in this kind of pingpong effect… you don’t have to worry about default risk because you own the annuity, you’re not worried about the bond defaulting or the federal government not paying its debt… and they got couple bonuses like for life…

Dick: Oh yes, that will be nice, why not?

Eric: And how about not having initially pay a management fee to somebody that’s managing a bond portfolio.

Dick: Well case in point Eric, go back to when the market took the big nose dive or 2008 the Great Recession, well, what do we think? We thought that based on conventional wisdom if we have at this stock bond mix, then sure the stocks are going down but the bonds are going hold us up!

Eric: Right.

Dick: What happen? It all went down. So now, here we are in probably the most vulnerable position potentially in all of history but at least in recent years – the last century, where the bond markets are facing this inverse relationship to interest rates were interest rates have nowhere to go… but straight up and what’s going to happen to the bottom market, to the yield?

Eric: Who wants to own a one percent bond when all of the sudden they’re going start to pay two percent or 3 percent? Nobody’s going to be able to get rid of those bonds!

Dick: Yes, it’s a hot potato. And why not let, you brought it up… why not let the annuity companies manage that risk because that’s what insurance companies do best. They manage risk and they basically hire the cadre de army of managers that’s needed to manage bond risk.

Eric: Right. They’ve done this for hundreds of years.

Dick: And they do it long-term, they’re not in it for the short-term treasury.

Eric: It’s just not for your lifetime which sounds a little funny but they have managed it for multiple lifetime. So, they look much bigger much larger…

Dick: Some of these companies, one in particular I’m thinking of, survived over the last three hundred years and it’s a rated A company today…

Eric: Couple World War and…

Dick: France take over… Napoleon Bonaparte… and the list just go on and on… So, the truth of the matter is that government shutdowns; rather they’re perceived, they’re real; the austerity measures we’ve seen in Europe, they have a dramatic effect on interest rates and interest rates have a dramatic effect on annuities; and interest rates have a dramatic effect on volatility in the market.

Eric: So, let’s put this in summary, I guess. Is it a good thing to hold an annuity or being an owner of annuity when there’s a government shutdown?

Dick: I think that that would be where I would want my portfolio to be; a portion of it anyway in annuities – a foundational portion – so that when these kind of things happen, which they’re going to or something new that we’re always blind sided with something new…

Eric: That’s something that’s never happened before…

Dick: We think we’ve got it all figured out, we’ve got all the stress tests then low and behold the next crisis comes along that blind side us… that’s why it make sense to have a portion of the annuity – a foundational portion, so that when these things happen you can weather the storms without stress… sleep well at night…

Eric: Some safety, some security, some annuities.

Dick: Agree.

Choosing a Fixed Annuity

By

If you are having trouble sleeping, you could count sheep or think about fixed annuities.

Solid, unexciting, stodgy and downright boring are all wonderful terms to describe fixed annuities –  along with simple, steady and safer. Fixed annuities offer competitive interest rates, typically a couple of percentage points higher than bank products. They were never designed to give returns comparable to the the stock market, but they remove a layer of risk by transferring the investment risk to an insurance company.

Watch this week as the Annuity Guys® add some excitement and clarity to the world of fixed annuities.

 

**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.

For more Fixed Annuity information check out our page on…

The Pros & Cons of Fixed Annuities

Solid, unexciting, stodgy and in fact downright boring but…are annuities safe? Well, back in 2007, it was hard to get anyone to admit that they actually put money into a fixed annuity! However, today it is a different story as many individuals lost substantial amounts of money during the Great Recession. Millions of people holding boring fixed annuities suddenly found themselves feeling proud about the fact that their fixed annuity did what a fixed annuity was supposed to do. It protected them from the crisis and saved all or at least part of their retirement plan.

Fixed annuities offer competitive interest rates, typically 1-3% higher than bank products. They were never designed to give returns that are available in the stock market, however; over the last ten years or so they have actually outperformed the market and may do so for the next decade or two. […Read the full article]


Using OutCome Based Planning™ for Your Retirement

We practice and recommend a "Holistic - OutCome Based Planning™ process when considering annuities." This approach has the effect of balancing your overall portfolio so you can meet your retirement objectives by "first identifying the least amount of your investments or savings (if any) that should be considered for annuities." OutCome Based Planning™ analyzes and models multiple outcomes so you can clearly identify your best income and growth opportunities.

"The Annuity Guys will only call if you request help". Hence, when you are ready for specialized help we will be available.
"Working with an Experienced Fiduciary Financial Planner can help you Avoid a Trial & Error or Risk Based Retirement"

This type of approach does take considerably more time, effort and analysis which will show you mathematically the successful possibilities by comparing various outcomes rather than trying to sell or convince you of that "so-called one best solution." Clients frequently tell us that this process removes some of the confusion and emotion to help them objectively identify a better retirement plan; rather than just ending up with the most convincing salesperson or advisor.

When requesting help you can be assured of working with an experienced Annuity Guys' Retirement Planner who is independently insurance licensed and securities licensed as a fiduciary financial planner having access to the vast majority of annuity companies in helping you choose the best annuities using a holistic-outcome based planning approach. We consider the high quality advisor recommendations we make to our website visitors as a direct reflection back on our commitment to serve all client's with a high standard of excellence in financial planning for retirement.

Based on survey feedback on advisors from our website visitors, we eliminated about two-hundred local advisors and now only recommend a few that we consider experienced vetted Annuity Guys' Fiduciary Advisors. Many local advisors continue requesting us to recommend them as a vetted advisor. However, our reputation and future business is driven only by satisfied website visitors. So, unfortunately we've had to tell the vast majority of local advisors no, since we changed our business model four years ago. At that time we stopped trying to satisfy everyone with local advisors, we now primarily work with individuals who are comfortable using today's internet technology to their fullest advantage by working with a select group of vetted, experienced and knowledgeable Annuity Guys' Fiduciary Planners.


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Selecting the Best Annuity & Retirement Income Advisor

Are you willing to work with one of our retirement and annuity advisors based on their experience and expertise as a first priority rather than being limited by a local or regional area? The good news is that technology has forever eliminated our geographical limitations and leveled the playing field for everyone! As a result of today's technological advances, all of us can now work confidently with experts in any field including personal finance. We are no longer confined by regional or local boundaries limiting our choices and ultimate success. A high quality advisor is now as close as a click or phone call away.

Video:"Choose a National or Local Advisor"?
"There is no room for trial and error when it comes to choosing MarketFree® Annuities or a Successful Retirement Planner."
When you think about it, your money is almost always in some other state with a custodian; whether invested in the market or with an annuity insurance company, the advisors competence is primarily needed when positioning your money initially. So working with a specialized expert in a financial discipline like investments or retirement planning is imperative. There are no undo buttons in retirement! Once the annuities get set up correctly, it is customary and more efficient for owners to benefit by having direct access to the issuer instead of having to go through the agent. And, of course any reputable advisor, local or national, is more than willing to assist their clients if needed after they are implemented.
Video:"Why These 3 Types of Annuity Advisors are Not Created Equal"
"There are no undo buttons in retirement so it is vitally important that you do it right the first time!"

We are fortunate to have a select few who we believe are truly the highest qualified advisors out of about two hundred licensed insurance agents that we eliminated. Your survey feedback is what helps us make these tough decisions. Our advisors have an independent financial practice, specializing in annuities and retirement planning, which helps ensure that you are given the best options available for your retirement planning.

Video: "How Much of Your Money Should You Consider Placing into Annuities"?
"It takes an experienced expert to know how to structure annuities for income, inflation, growth, return of principal, and tax advantage."

"Anyone can sell you an annuity; however, it takes a truly qualified and experienced advisor to know how to structure them for income, inflation, growth, return of principal, and tax advantage. Typically, there is not just one that can accomplish all of these objectives. It is how an advisor structures multiple annuities in balancing your total portfolio that makes it possible to achieve your most important retirement objectives."

Video: "How to Choose a Great retirement Advisor"?

Why Searching for the Best Annuities on Your Own Can be so Frustrating...

Almost everyone nowadays turns to the internet for answers on everything - from buying new widgets to researching just about everything under the sun; and finding the best annuity is no exception!At first, it may seem that researching will be straightforward but the more time you spend researching them, the more frustrating it can be. Why is this? First of all, it does not take long to realize that gimmicks abound - such as warnings and alerts from salesmen who just want your attention so they can sell you one or the "too good to be true" claims of 8% to 14% **guaranteed interest and of course the claim that you can get the full market upside with no downside risk! If you have done any research you have heard all of these claims in advertising which are mostly half truths and not fully explained.So how can you find the best annuities on the internet? The truth is... you can't! And what is even more frustrating is all the conflicting points of view from so called experts. There are well over 6,000 different annuities - all designed for different reasons, so is it any wonder that the deck is stacked against the average researcher or do-it-yourselfer. Add to that the fact that they pay high enough commissions to attract a plethora of both good and bad agents. This does not make annuities good or bad; they are simply a financial tool that truly benefit those who use them correctly.How can you find the best annuities for your unique situation?
  • Use the internet cautiously;
  • Work with a vetted and experienced specialist;
  • Do not settle for that one dubious best plan. Compare multiple Outcome Based Plans to decide on the one that is truly best for you;
  • Be keenly aware of scare tactics and hyperbole - avoid those advisors and websites;
  • Avoid websites that are focused on rushing free reports, rates and quotes to get your contact information they are rushing you to speak with them, instead, take your time and choose someone you are more comfortable with that works on your time-table;
  • Know the Five Vital Factors (listed above) that an experienced specialist must answer before helping you select the best options for your situation;
  • Watch this telling video "Avoid Annuity Gimmicks, Amateurs and Charlatans"...

Video: "Avoiding Gimmicks, Scams & Charlatans"

  ** 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.
They 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 our website visitors. Dick Van Dyke semi-retired from his Investment Advisory Practice in 2012 and now focuses on this website. He still maintains his insurance license in good standing and assists his current clients.
Our 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.)


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  9. MarketFree™ Annuity Definition: Any fixed annuity or portfolio of fixed annuities that protects principal / premium and growth by remaining market risk free.
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