"Fun With Annuities" The Annuity Man Podcast

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   Should you worry about inflation?  Annuity companies don't give anything for free Inflation will not change your lifestyle    Key Takeaways:   Stop complaining about inflation when it doesn't affect you or about increasing prices when you can afford it.  Annuity companies don't give anything away. If there's a potential increase in your income, then th...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Mr. FIA-X discuss:   Questions to ask your annuity agent  Backtested numbers are garbage  Index Annuities are not bad products When building for accumulation   Key Takeaways:   Ask what the participation rate is and when it can change. Annuity companies can change the rules, as they need to have some way to protect themselves. It's important to know those rules...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   Think again, would more money change your life?  Peeling off the interest Are you really affected by inflation?  Live your life now    Key Takeaways:   Why do you still keep money in the markets when you've won the game? Think about it, would more money really change your life? If the answer is no, then why are you putting your money at risk?  Treasuri...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   Are your plans volatile?  The Safe Money Trifecta  Managing your volatility  Can you afford volatility?    Key Takeaways:   Your retirement plan is volatile if it's at the whims of the markets and current global circumstances. You can take out the volatility from your plans by introducing contractual guarantees.  Remember the Safe Money Trifecta: CDs,...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Marcia Mantell discuss:   The good news that came with inflation What inflation really does  Medicare Advantage or Medigap     Key Takeaways:   Social security got a large boost. On the one hand, we're all lamenting inflation, but then those who are getting social security or are waiting to claim will get the benefit of an 8.7% increase.  Inflation makes us ret...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   Annuity fake news  Too good to be true What's at risk  Fake news on two sides Key Takeaways:   If someone tells you all annuities are all bad, it's either they're lying to you or that they don't know what they're talking about.  "Market upside with no downside" plus a shiny upfront bonus sprinkled on top to "make up for the losses"? It's a trap! Index...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   How different your life could be with more money  Retiring from work and the markets Investing safely and smartly  Living off of guarantees    Key Takeaways:   People in the news and most financial advisors will tell you always to keep money in the markets, but you have to ask yourself this: will more money make your life any different?  If you love th...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Michael Finke discuss:   Annuities are more attractive today  Protecting your future lifestyle  Cutting little slices on the birthday cake There's no perfect product to solve for inflation   Key Takeaways:   At the time of this episode's taping, near-retirees can lock in 5.2% on five-year MYGAs for the next five years; however, it may go up or down.  When buyin...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and GUEST discuss:   CDs and MYGAs I-bond no-brainer The safest product in principal protection  How safe are MYGAs?    Key Takeaways:   Here's how CDs (Certificate of Deposit) work: you give the bank money, they protect the principal, and you don't have to pay any fees. You can take the interest if you want to at the end of the term and do what you want with your...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   Dating your annuity company  Marrying your company for lifetime income What do you want your money to do contractually?  Dating MYGAs to peel of interest    Key Takeaways:   Dating a company means that we're only going to be there for a specific duration. With multi-year guarantee annuities and fixed-rate annuities, you give the annuity company your mo...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Rick Ferri discuss:   The Bogle-Head philosophy in investing Access to good financial advice  The urgency of getting serious with retirement Implementing a plan for your own life    Key Takeaways:   Keep it simple, keep it low cost, and keep it low tax. Use index funds when you can because the performance of active funds that are trying to outperform the indice...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   Market dreams kill retirement plans It's time for you to live your life  Do you have a plan in place?  Chasing the markets is nonsense   Key Takeaways:   Advisors are telling people to stay the course but that's easy to say when it's not their money that's on the line. Market dreams and market addiction to growth is killing retirement, it's killing peo...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   Annuities have a lot of types  Protecting the principal  Buying an annuity can be your last resort  You need a contractual guarantee    Key Takeaways:   There are many types of annuities. There are Multi-Year Guarantee Annuities which is the industry's version of a CD. There are indexed annuities, variable annuities, Deferred Income Annuities, Qualifie...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Branislav Nikolic discuss:   Always look for the better deal  Annuities are not an investment Clearing the market before buying Don't buy the hope; buy the guarantee.  Key Takeaways:   Don't let someone show you just one product; shop them all because there's always one better annuity than the others. You should constantly look for that to get the most optimal...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed: Do interest rates affect annuities How capacity affects annuities Tuning out the noise of the media Asking the right questions Key Takeaways: Annuity companies watch the Fed, but their decisions don't drive the train; capacity does. Interest rates do affect annuities a little bit, but it's not linear. When annuity companies are getting in more money than...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Martin Parlato discuss:  Where is inflation Cryptocurrency is a joke How to fix the supply chain What should the government be doing?    Key Takeaways:  Where can you see inflation personally affecting your life? Does inflation impact you, or are you just listening to the media too much? The real problem is the huge supply chain issue made worse by the governme...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   The good and the bad of taxes Skating behind the puck with taxes  Does inflation really affect you?  Choosing simple solutions for retirement   Key Takeaways:   It's important to pay your taxes. Your money goes into good things like infrastructure, security and other things. However, it does get a little predatory, politicians play games with it, and y...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Terry Savage discuss:   Preparing for recession  The wildcard in economy  The two most interest things in the market  Living off of the interest    Key Takeaways:   People are not prepared for the kind of recession we might be facing. The Feds will not let the government buy us out of this recession, even though it's a political year because of the mounting nat...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   You might already have lifetime income The most stupid reason to hate annuities  The many ways to structure annuities  Covering your basic expenses    Key Takeaways:   There's a high probability that you already have lifetime income insurance in the form of Social Security, IRA, or a 401k. The real question isn't if you have lifetime income insurance b...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Bill Black discuss:   Who needs long-term care?  Transferring wealth to your heirs tax-free  Maximizing your death  What good insurance companies do    Key Takeaways:   If you live long enough where you aren't able to feed, bathe, transport, or dress yourself anymore, you're going to wish you had long-term care set in place.  Long-term care benefit is tax-free,...

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   Addiction to the stock market  Taking an inventory of your life  Leave it and live your life  How to know if you've won the game   Key Takeaways:   There are two main reasons why people become addicted to the stock market, and that's fear and greed. People love getting returns, and they hate the feeling of missing out.  Think deeply and check your situ...

  In this episode, The Annuity Man and Mr. FIA-X discuss:   Don't sign up for "free" stuff  Upfront bonuses are not real money  What good advisors do  There's never an urgency to buy an annuity   Key Takeaways:   If you're signing up for a free report, a free gift, or free whatever, then expect that you have to give up your personal information and therefore your most valuable asset which is time....

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   Short term options available in MYGA's  There's no garbage in MYGAS's MYGA's and CD products  Making yield great again    Key Takeaways:   There are good contractual yields available in MYGAs. They're available in short term options of two year, three year, five year, or even seven year locked in periods.  In MYGAs, there's no annual fees, no market at...

In this episode, The Annuity Man and Ellie Saul discuss:   Medicaid is better than selling your soul to lead selling companies The three benefits that the non-inflation bill does for Medicare beneficiaries Looking out for yourself by doing your own research  Don't surrender your rights    Key Takeaways:   If you need money back and you can't afford your premiums, then opt in for Medicaid instead o...

   In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:   Choosing brutally factual service  Listening to the facts. On your own terms and timeframe.  Annuities should be bought, not sold.    Key Takeaways:   When you go to see your cancer doctor, you don't want him to be your friend, you want him to be brutally factual. You need him to tell you the risks and the actions that you need to take. That's the k...