"Fun With Annuities" The Annuity Man Podcast

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:  Why we should get rid of backtested numbers  What an index annuity is and isn't  Don't be the sucker at the table    Key Takeaways:  Backtested numbers capitalize on some of our most unwanted feelings such as regret and the feeling of missing out. We have to see those as what they really are: backtested numbers are garbage and should be illegal.  An ind...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:  Smart people fall for schemes too   Don't trust the pitch  Buy an annuity for what it will do  Annuities are great products   Key Takeaways:  People that are smart fall for Ponzi schemes. Be wary of "secret" products that nobody or not many people know about. If you are shown backtested return numbers, that's garbage. Those returns are not going to happ...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and John Lenz discuss:  Required capital level of annuity companies  Market value adjustment, surrender penalty, and pivoting with annuities What state-guaranteed funds are for  Exposure and liabilities in the insurance industry    Key Takeaways:  When the annuity company invests their client's money, they make sure to add capital over and above the asset to provid...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:  What are MYGAs? How MYGAs work  Locked in MYGAs    Key Takeaways:  MYGAs or fixed-rate annuities are the annuity industry's version of a CD. The advantage is that you have full control over it, and you can transfer it back to where it came from or roll it to another one.  There is no trigger function on MYGAs. The way it works is that you give the life...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:  Surfing beside a cruise ship  Who wins in the markets?  What should be your focus in your "chapter two?"     Key Takeaways:  Investing in the markets is like surfing beside a cruise ship. There are times that you will catch a wave and you'll just surf and it'll be fantastic, but there are also times you'll get sucked under the boat. Big-money institutio...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Jay Zawatsky discuss:  The origin of the United State's debt pile  Why we need to increase the amount and affordability of energy Hydrogen is the key to energy dominance  The problems that hydrogen solves    Key Takeaways:  Lifespans have increased for workers that pay into the social security system. Therefore, according to the trustees of the Social Security...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:  Pivoting doesn't mean slowing down Why pivoting to retirement is hard  Cherish your chapter two    Key Takeaways:  Retirement doesn't mean that you're slowing down, it just means that you're going to pivot to chapter two of your life where you are hopefully spending time doing the things that you love to do.  It's hard to pivot and actually take care of...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:  The four words you must focus on  The difference between a CD and a MYGA Seize the day with these interest rates What should you do when the rates go down?    Key Takeaways:  In the current interest-rate environment that we're in, between CDs, treasuries, and multi-year guaranteed annuities, allow many of you out there to live off of contractually guara...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Mark Iwry discuss the following:  What is a QLAC?  One of the best features of a QLAC Structuring a QLAC with cash refund  Why QLACs aren't popular    Key Takeaways:  A QLAC or a Quality Longevity Annuiy Contract is a deferred annuity that's helpful for people trying to save for retirement and want security in retirement in the form of a guaranteed lifetime inc...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:  Social security is an annuity  Why you can't hate all annuities  Structuring annuities  Having contractual guarantees in place    Key Takeaways:  If annuities are all bad, then nobody should claim their pensions. Social security is an annuity, one that you already own.  You can't "hate all annuities"; it's like saying you hate all restaurants. There are...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:  Threading the needle with volatility Freedom from volatility Annuities are the haystack  Time to secure guarantees    Key Takeaways:  Threading the needle to get market returns makes you dependent upon so much unknown. You're dependent on world markets, geopolitical events, and meltdowns that are impossible to predict.  A lot of people can retire from t...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Pam Krueger discuss:  Should you trust people not held to a fiduciary standard?  The advantage of buying a registered advisor  The mark of a great financial advisor  Two questions you must ask your advisor    Key Takeaways:  There are a lot of self-described advisors working at brokerage firms or insurance companies. They are not necessarily bad people or bad a...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   There are no U-Hauls behind hearses Why aren't you spending your money?  Fly first class, or your kids will  The millionaire next door    Key Takeaways:   The phrase "there are no U-Hauls behind hearses" means that you don't get to keep anything you've amassed when you're dead. It will hopefully be a wake-up call for many to live life for the day and s...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   People who grew up poor see money differently The difference is in the perspective  Checking the background of your advisor  Your retirement is not a game    Key Takeaways:   People who experience poverty see money differently and often have a healthy respect for it. It would hurt them personally to see money lost, even when it's another person.  A per...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Terry Savage discuss:   The national debt will not default  Speculating on bitcoin  Inflation, debt, and layoffs  An annuity is not an investment   Key Takeaways:   Stop panicking. The national debt will not default. Think rationally about this instead of listening to bad opinions on television. There's no financial strategy for the end of the world, so it's no...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   Locking in for three years and over  The top three safest money  When to go for CDs and treasuries    Key Takeaways:   Ask yourself how long you want to lock the money in for. MYGAs provide the highest contractual guarantee if it's three years and over compared to CDs and treasuries.  The safest money out of all three would be treasuries, the second sa...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   You can afford the drink  Stop making table lemonade Math is the medicine  Taking baby steps   Key Takeaways:   You can afford the drink so go ahead and buy it. Don't let the scars of scarcity control your life's decisions. Live your life.  Stop making table lemonade. Practices you've acquired while trying to survive scarcity are no longer necessary wh...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Bob Carlson discuss:   Changes in 401k and IRA provisions  Why you should spend time on income taxes Generating guaranteed lifetime income  Be prepared to adapt your plan    Key Takeaways:   The Secure Act 2.0 gives provisions that are designed to make employer retirement plans more available and to get more employees participating in the plans. The required mi...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   The fear of running out of money Solving the fear of running out  Is FORO more important the FOMO?  Using math to address FORO      Key Takeaways:   Most of us didn't grow rich. We saw what it was like to live in scarcity, and today, many of us still carry those scars. Despite having millions or a portion of that, some people might still feel poor and...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   Income gap-filling strategies  The period certain immediate annuity  Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuities  When should you take social security?    Key Takeaways:   Social security is the best inflation annuity on the planet. If you're looking for strategies to fill the income gap between ages 63-70, 65-70, or 62-70, there are two contractual ways to do it....

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Jay Zawatsky discuss:  The definition of good money  Why both fiat and bitcoin is bad money Retiring with gold and silver  Jay's personal investment strategy    Key Takeaways:  If you have money that can store the value of your labor and preserve its purchasing power over long spans of time, then it is good money. Throughout history, only one checked the box fo...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   The free look time period Shopping for the highest guarantee What annuity businesses should do   Key Takeaways:   Interest rates are moving significantly, but no one can truly know where it goes. However, annuities have a policy in place where people are given a time period where they can pivot or take their money back.  You can go into an application,...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   Everyone goes through cognitive decline Considering cognitive strategies  Transferring risk through annuities Why you should plan for cognitive decline   Key Takeaways:   It doesn't matter how sharp or healthy you are right now, everyone will go through cognitive decline eventually.  Start considering cognitive strategies from a turnkey standpoint, whe...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Steve Parrish discuss:   Why we need simple retirement solutions Transitioning from accumulation to decumulation  How inflation affects insurance companies  The benefits of delaying your social security   Key Takeaways:   There's a huge need to decrease the complexity surrounding retirement. Retirees or pre-retirees today are already worrying about the economy,...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   Shopping for annuity products Marrying the company for lifetime income  Avoid "one-size-fits-all" annuity products Buy annuities for the guarantees    Key Takeaways:   Buying annuities is like shopping for a plane ticket.  Annuities are commodity products; you shop all carriers for the highest contractual guarantee. With lifetime income products, the A...