Your own personal Annuity Geek, gladly devouring all the fine print, and sharing how these products really work!
As a math geek financial analyst, I started my blog to focus mostly on market research and economic analysis. However, I started getting questions about annuities on a regular basis and the nerdy investigator side of me started breaking them down in intricate detail, revealing the true pros and cons.
Evidently this type of annuity analysis is hard to find?
Alas my regular features on the most recommended annuities in the US. So far they’ve been a real hit. Here’s just one of the many emails I’ve gotten thanking me for the reviews:
…BTW, what you are doing with your blog in objectively analyzing these things (annuities) is incredibly valuable– I could find nothing else like it on the internet– a lot of anti-annuity stuff and pro-annuity stuff, but nothing unbiased nor seriously analyzing the data.
If you have the time for this kind of work, I think your blog will really catch on (if it hasn’t already). Thanks.
Getting notes like that makes it all worthwhile!
Complete Annuity Reviews, Including Detailed Testing of Realistic Return Expectations [with videos too!]
Here is a list of all the annuities I’ve reviewed so you can easily find the annuity you are researching:
Security Benefit Secure Income Annuity
Security Benefit Total Value Annuity
Aviva Balanced Allocation Annuity 12
Allianz Alterity Variable Annuity
Allianz MasterDex X Annuity
Allianz Vision Variable Annuity (with Income Protector Rider)
If you’re doing some research and would like to see a truly independent, objective, detailed, and extremely geeky review of a particular annuity just contact me and I’ll see what I can whip up.
In these reviews I cover all the stuff the salespeople tell you… and then tell you how the annuity really works. Most people find the sales stories, and the facts, are very different. Hybrid Annuities, CD type annuities, Variable annuities, Index annuities, etc – they’re all covered.
Best,
Jason Wenk
Pingback: Retirement Income Planning
Have you done a review on Prudential HD 6 product? My husband and I have this and pay very high annual fees.
Our new advisor is talking about this Security Benefit Secure Income Annuity and saying we will make 7%. This presentation informs us that he is not being truthful.
We surely need your advice!
Thanks
Hi Linda,
Thanks for finding my blog and reaching out. I haven’t done a full review of the Prudential HD 6, but can concur that when riders are used the cost can be higher than I’d be comfortable with. Regarding the Secure Income Annuity – it won’t “make” 7% – so hopefully it wasn’t explained that way. The “roll up” component uses a 7% figure, but that is only to determine what future income payments will be. The more realistic return expectations range from 0% to something in the low 4% range in based on my testing. To get the higher end of that range (or slightly more), you or your husband would need to live quite a few years past life expectancy. That’s possible, but none of us really know when our time is up
!
Glad to be of help and best of luck to you.
Jason