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If you have an investment strategy or a retirement strategy, there better be an income strategy as well. In a pension-less world, too many people are relying too much on their Social Security payments. Social Security is the best inflation annuity on the planet, but it was never put in place to be the primary source of retirement income.

Many agents and advisors choose one or two annuity products, learn some of the main details, and then try to sell it to everyone. Spoiler alert, there is no best annuity out there so make sure that you see at least 3 to 5 different carriers quotes when shopping for any annuity type.

What is an annuity? It is a transfer of risk contract that life insurance companies issue. Not all annuities are the same. The type of annuity you own will dictate what it contractually solves for.

During the last financial crisis in 2008, annuity companies weathered that storm very well and positioned themselves to take advantage of the demographic tidal wave of baby boomers looking for contractual guarantees.

I’ve learned the word “annuity” is a curse word in the financial industry. Perhaps some bad sales practices have helped with this bad reputation, or maybe it’s the constant “I Hate Annuities” ads that blanket all platforms. Many people that might need an annuity transfer of risk strategy have, unfortunately, opted not to learn more because of this unearned negative stigma.

I find that the majority of people think that when you own an annuity for lifetime income the annuity company keeps any money in the account when you die. Too many people who needed a lifetime income stream from an annuity didn’t make that purchase because of this common assumption, I can guarantee that.

A horrific stat that can never be calculated is the number of people that needed an annuity contractual transfer of risk lifetime income stream but never bought one because they thought the annuity company would keep the rest of their money when they passed away.

Let’s take a look at why Republicans love annuities. We each have our own opinion when it comes to politics, but no matter if you're a Republican or a Democrat, there are reasons to love annuities and believe it or not, some common ground.

Annuities, they are contracts issued by life insurance companies. So, when someone asks me “How do annuities work?” it really depends on the type of annuity contract you are referring to. Most annuity types are designed for lifetime income, while others solve for principal protection, CD returns, and one type is structured for market returns.

The focus tends to shift from market growth to income with a demographic tidal wave of people reaching full retirement age every single day. Increasing your retirement income becomes the top personal finance goal for any long term financial plan.

The Secure Act (aka The Secure Retirement Act) was signed into law on December 20th, 2019. The primary government intention was to encourage Americans to start planning for their own retirement income needs. 2 Words Matter...Lifetime Income

Since I am licensed in all 50 states, I get a ton of calls from across the country with the following question, “Are Fixed Indexed Annuities a good investment and do they really get stock market returns?

There are many types of fixed annuities.

There are over 10,000 baby boomers reaching retirement age every single day, and many are faced with the decision to take a lump-sum dollar amount or an annuity payment from their employer.

A retirement annuity can be multiple types of annuities. I think most people when talking about a retirement annuity, they're talking about a lifetime income stream. An immediate annuity, a deferred income annuity, or qualified longevity annuity contracts. Something that's going to create a pension type income stream.