Annuities with Fexingo: Income Products, Retirement Planning, and Insurance Investments

In this episode of Annuities with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore a shift reshaping fixed-income portfolios: using multi-year guaranteed annuities, or MYGAs, to replace traditional bond ladders. With the ten-year Treasury hovering around 4.5 percent as of mid-2026, MYGAs are offering 30 to 50 basis points more for similar durations, and the interest is tax-deferred until withdrawal. The hosts walk...

Episode 78 of Annuities with Fexingo dives into a specific strategy: using a fixed annuity to accumulate funds that are then converted to a Roth IRA via a systematic series of conversions, without triggering a large one-time tax bill. Lucas and Luna walk through a concrete example: a 55-year-old with $200,000 in a fixed annuity earning 4.5% annually, who converts $25,000 per year over eight years,...

In this episode of Annuities with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how fixed annuities can serve as a hedge against longevity risk—the chance of outliving your savings. They break down the concept using a concrete example: a 65-year-old retiree with $500,000 in savings who allocates $100,000 to a deferred fixed annuity that starts income at age 85. Lucas explains how this strategy creates a 'longev...

Episode 76 of Annuities with Fexingo dives into the mechanics of a 1035 exchange from a fixed annuity to a variable annuity. Lucas and Luna discuss the tax-free transfer rules, the two-year window for avoiding surrender charges, and a real-world case where a retiree moved $400,000 from a fixed annuity earning 3.2% to a variable annuity with lower fees and growth potential. They explore the pitfall...

Lucas and Luna explore how fixed annuities can fund a special needs trust without disrupting government benefits like SSI and Medicaid. They walk through a real example: a grandmother using a $200,000 fixed annuity to provide lifetime income for her disabled grandson, while keeping the trust assets from counting against his benefit eligibility. They explain the 'accumulation vs. distribution' trus...

In episode 74 of Annuities with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into the fine print of annuity riders. Not all add-ons are worth the cost. They break down the most common riders—guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit, guaranteed minimum income benefit, death benefit, and long-term care—and explain exactly when each one pays off versus when it's just a costly handcuff. Using a concrete example of a 62...

In Episode 73 of Annuities with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore a little-known yet powerful strategy: using a 1035 exchange to move money from a fixed annuity into a variable annuity without triggering taxes. They walk through the specific IRS rules, the tax implications of exchanging cost basis versus gains, and a concrete example where a retiree swaps a 3% fixed annuity for a variable annuity wi...

Episode 72 explores a niche but powerful strategy: using a fixed annuity to fund a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT). Lucas and Luna walk through a concrete example—a retiree with $500,000 in highly appreciated stock who wants both lifetime income and a charitable legacy. They explain how a CRT sells the stock tax-free, reinvests the proceeds into a fixed annuity, and pays the donor an income strea...

Episode 71 of Annuities with Fexingo explores a creative strategy: using a fixed annuity inside a custodial account to fund a grandchild's 529 college savings plan. Lucas and Luna walk through why a fixed annuity may offer tax deferral and creditor protection advantages over a direct 529 contribution, especially for grandparents concerned about control and flexibility. They cover the mechanics of...

In this episode of Annuities with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how fixed annuities can be used to fund long-term care expenses, a topic often overlooked in retirement planning. They discuss the role of annuity riders like chronic illness and long-term care benefit riders, how they compare to traditional long-term care insurance, and the trade-offs between cost and flexibility. Using a concrete...

Episode 69 of Annuities with Fexingo: Income Products, Retirement Planning, and Insurance Investments. Hosts Lucas and Luna explore a fresh angle: using fixed annuities as a diversification tool for high-net-worth investors, beyond traditional income planning. Lucas explains how fixed annuities can offer principal protection and predictable growth in a taxable portfolio, especially for those maxin...

In this episode of Annuities with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore a specific retirement strategy: using fixed annuities to bridge the gap between early retirement and delayed Social Security benefits. They walk through a concrete case: a 62-year-old with a $400,000 IRA who wants to delay Social Security until 70 but needs $30,000 annual income. Lucas explains how a fixed annuity can fill that gap...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna tackle one of the most dangerous threats to retirement income: sequence of returns risk. Using a concrete example of a retiree in 2026 who retired just before a market downturn, they explain how a fixed annuity can serve as a shock absorber, allowing portfolio withdrawals to come from the guaranteed income stream rather than selling stocks at a loss. They walk throu...

Lucas and Luna break down the annuity laddering strategy — buying multiple annuities at different ages and terms instead of one lump-sum contract. They walk through a concrete example: a 60-year-old with $500,000 who staggers three fixed annuities at ages 62, 65, and 70 to lock in rising rates, avoid timing risk, and preserve liquidity. They compare the total lifetime income from a ladder versus a...

Lucas and Luna break down the case against buying an immediate annuity at age 65 in today's rate environment. Using a concrete $500,000 premium comparison, they show how a five-year deferred fixed annuity can generate 18% more lifetime income than a SPIA, even with no cost-of-living adjustment. The episode drills into the mechanics: how deferral credits compound at current 5.2% guaranteed rates, h...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna break down the mechanics of a Section 1035 exchange for fixed annuities—a tax-free way to swap an outdated annuity contract for a better one. Using a concrete example of a retiree holding a 2015-era fixed annuity earning 2.8%, they walk through the exchange into a current 5.2% MYGA with a 10-year surrender period. They discuss the 60-day window rule, the difference...

Episode 63 of Annuities with Fexingo tackles a niche but powerful strategy: using a fixed annuity to smooth the tax burden of a Roth IRA conversion ladder. Lucas and Luna break down how a multi-year guaranteed annuity (MYGA) can serve as a bridge account for the five-year waiting period before Roth conversions become tax-free. They walk through a concrete example: a 55-year-old planner converting...

Episode 62 of Annuities with Fexingo dives into the shift from cap rates to spread margins in fixed index annuities. Lucas and Luna break down how a spread works, why insurers are moving away from caps in 2026, and what a 2.75 percent spread means for your credited interest compared to a 6 percent cap. Using a real example from a mid-2026 product launch, they show how spreads offer more predictabl...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the mechanics of participation rates in fixed index annuities — the factor that determines how much of an index's upside you actually get credited. They explain how a participation rate of 80 percent on the S&P 500 means you capture only 80 percent of the gain, and why insurers adjust these rates based on market volatility and interest rates. The hosts wal...

Hosts Lucas and Luna revisit the mechanics of fixed index annuities (FIAs), focusing on how participation rates and spreads actually determine your credited interest. They walk through a concrete example using the S&P 500 Price Return Index, showing how a typical 70% participation rate with a 1% spread caps your upside while guaranteeing no loss. They compare this to a direct investment in an inde...

Episode 59 of Annuities with Fexingo dives into the mechanical differences between fixed annuity crediting methods: declared rate, index-linked (with cap and spread), and multi-year guaranteed account (MYGA) buckets. Lucas and Luna explain how a 50-year-old retiree deciding between a 5.25% MYGA and a 6% cap on the S&P 500 with a 2% spread can use a simple break-even calculation. They walk through...

Episode 58 of Annuities with Fexingo explores Qualified Longevity Annuity Contracts, or QLACs—a specific type of deferred income annuity that can push Required Minimum Distributions from your retirement accounts to age 85. Lucas and Luna break down the IRS rules: the 25% account-value cap, the $200,000 lifetime limit, and how a QLAC can reduce RMD taxes in your 70s and 80s. They walk through a con...

Lucas and Luna break down what actually determines your return in a fixed index annuity — spoiler: it's not the index itself. Using the example of a hypothetical 'Fexigo Dynamic 7' contract with a 7.5% cap rate and 100% participation, they walk through how caps, spreads, and participation rates interact to produce actual credited interest. They compare a 7.5% cap versus a 12% cap on the S&P 500 ov...

Episode 56 of Annuities with Fexingo tackles a specific retirement-income question: should you build a TIPS ladder or buy a fixed annuity? Lucas and Luna walk through a concrete example—$500,000 at age 65—comparing real yields, longevity protection, and the problem of reinvestment risk. They explain why a fixed annuity can deliver a higher lifetime payout than a TIPS ladder that runs out at age 85...

In episode 55 of Annuities with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore an overlooked strategy: using a fixed annuity to fund a self-directed IRA rollover. They walk through a concrete example—a 55-year-old with $200,000 in an old 401(k) who wants to invest in real estate but needs liquidity during the rollover. The fixed annuity provides a guaranteed 4.5% interest rate for 12 months, acting as a parking...