Archives For Index annuities

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What Happens When an Annuity Salesperson Reads My Security Benefit Annuity Review?

September 11, 2012 — Leave a comment

Annuity infoI’ve written a few annuity reviews on my blog, which frankly, have been a huge hit.  I get complimentary emails every day from people all over the USA  - which is a great feeling and one of the reasons I continue to review new products and explain how they really work.  I’ve also gotten great feedback from clients, who ultimately are who I really serve each and every day.

But it’s not all roses.

Often I get emails from angry agents, calling me names, and making ridiculous proclamations about how I’m wrong (even though I fully show all my research) and how they are so much better.

Oh the joy when I get those emails ;) .

This is a preview of What Happens When an Annuity Salesperson Reads My Security Benefit Annuity Review?. Read the full post (3104 words, 3 images, estimated 12:25 mins reading time)
In Index annuities, Investor Alert, Investor Education , , , , ,
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retirement income planning disasters

Retirement Income Planning Disasters (Part 1)

August 7, 2012 — 1 Comment

Since starting my blog I’ve gotten hundreds, maybe close to a thousand, email inquiries from people all over the US looking for some guidance/affirmation.  The affirmation requests come from folks who have implemented some type of retirement investing program.  They usually share some details, and then finish with, “Do you think this is a sound plan?  Will it work?  Could I do better?”

It’s always a little tough to get back with everyone, especially when I don’t know all the nitty-gritty details.

So I’m putting together a little two-part series about Retirement Income Planning.

This is a preview of Retirement Income Planning Disasters (Part 1). Read the full post (2205 words, 1 image, estimated 8:49 mins reading time)
In Index annuities, Investor Education, Retirement Income Planning , ,
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An Independent Review of the National Western (NWL) Global Lookback Annuity

May 16, 2012 — 3 Comments

Over the past few months I’ve done quite a few annuity reviews.  They’ve all taken some time but most have been fairly easy for me to break down, test, and get complete comprehensive reviews done and online.

…But

A few weeks ago I had a blog reader want my view on The National Western Global Lookback Annuity.

And let me tell you – that one was a doozy.

The NWL Global Lookback is a Fixed Index Annuity very different than anything I’ve seen on the market.  Basically it has an option that tracks 4 different equity indexes and after a year is complete it “looks back” at the four and allocates your money retroactively toward the index that performs the best.  Which sounds really cool at first.  So I had to dig pretty deep to see exactly how that works and if it really adds value for annuity holders.

This is a preview of An Independent Review of the National Western (NWL) Global Lookback Annuity. Read the full post (1163 words, estimated 4:39 mins reading time)
In Annuity review, Index annuities, Investor Education , , , ,
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An Independent, Objective Review of the Allianz Alterity Variable Annuity

February 17, 2012 — 2 Comments

Per a client request this week I’ll be reviewing the Allianz Alterity Variable Annuity.  This will be my first review of a Variable Annuity as the last two that I reviewed were both Index Annuities.

There are a few very important differences when reviewing a Variable Annuity versus an Index Annuity.  Here’s the short and quick differences:

  1. Variable Annuities are securities products whereas Index Annuities are not.  Basically this means that the sellers of Variable Annuities are required to have additional licenses and the regulation of the product is done by FINRA versus each individual state.  Variable Annuities are also sold via a Broker/Dealer whereas Index Annuities are sold directly by agents affiliated directly with the insurance company.
This is a preview of An Independent, Objective Review of the Allianz Alterity Variable Annuity. Read the full post (2081 words, estimated 8:19 mins reading time)
In Financial product companies, Index annuities, Investor Education, Jason Wenk , , ,
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Aviva Balanced Allocation Annuity info

An Independent Review of the Aviva Balanced Allocation Annuity 12 (BAA12)

February 2, 2012 — 8 Comments

A couple weeks ago I reviewed an annuity (the Security Benefit Secure Income Annuity) that has become quite popular over the past year or so and got some very interesting feedback.  Most of the feedback was very good, but there were a few negative emails as well.  The negative email came from some insurance agents around the country that didn’t like that I singled out an annuity and openly reviewed how it works, what reasonable expectations should be for those contemplating buying it, and some of the mis-truths some advisors might use to get investors to buy in.

So much for full disclosure being good for investors.

This is a preview of An Independent Review of the Aviva Balanced Allocation Annuity 12 (BAA12). Read the full post (1737 words, estimated 6:57 mins reading time)
In Financial product companies, Index annuities, Investor Education, The Wall Street System , , , , ,
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An Independent Review of the Security Benefit Secure Income Annuity (SIA)

January 20, 2012 — 52 Comments

Warning: This is a long post about annuities and contains a very detailed 50-minute video as well.  If you have zero interest in annuities, how they work, or if they make sense at all then this post isn’t for you.  But if you’ve been pitched an annuity by an advisor or agent and want a 100% independent, objective review – then you’re in the right place.

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Why this Annuity Review Will Help You

I often get a lot of annuity questions from blog readers and clients.  I think the main reasons annuities have become such a hot topic as of late, are the following:

This is a preview of An Independent Review of the Security Benefit Secure Income Annuity (SIA). Read the full post (2070 words, estimated 8:17 mins reading time)
In Index annuities, Investor Alert, Investor Education , , ,
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Danger: Con Artists Masquerading as Financial Advisors Coming to a Town Near You!

November 11, 2011 — 2 Comments

I’ll probably do a weekly market update tomorrow – but ran across something today I had to share with my blog readers.

As a financial advisor I’m constantly being bombarded by companies trying to sell me their products/services; or trying to get me to try to sell my clients their products/services.  99% of the time I ignore the shiny objects and go about my independent, objective research.

But today I got an email that peaked my interest, though not in a good way.

The advertisement was basically a pitch to annuity salespeople on how they could double, triple, or even quadruple their annuity sales by becoming an RIA (Registered Investment Advisor).  Hmm.

This is a preview of Danger: Con Artists Masquerading as Financial Advisors Coming to a Town Near You!. Read the full post (833 words, 1 image, estimated 3:20 mins reading time)
In Index annuities, Index Annuities (bad), Investor Alert, The Wall Street System, Uncategorized
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Crazy Lies (or mis-statements) of Annuity Sales People (who call themselves financial advisors)

April 12, 2011 — 1 Comment

Hello All,

In my last post I talked about what was shaking in the world of the fantasitc (sarcasm noted) prodcuts known as index annuities.  What we learned, I hope, is that there are a lot of expenses you never know exist and a lot of people, companies, etc – that get paid when you buy said annuities.

I also wrote about how the marketing companies that promote the annuities to advisors, who in turn promote them to investors, position the annuities.  In the end, they focus on all the ways the advisor gets paid and how little flexibility there really is in equity indexed annuities – and of course, how to overcome those shortcomings so you actually buy them.  It’s a lot of work for something that is supposedly so great for “safe money” investors.

This is a preview of Crazy Lies (or mis-statements) of Annuity Sales People (who call themselves financial advisors). Read the full post (740 words, estimated 2:58 mins reading time)
In Index annuities, Index Annuities (bad), Index Annuities are bad, Investor Alert
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