Retire For Less With The Annuity Expert

If you want to retire at age 60, you have a massive financial hurdle to cross: funding a five-year gap to pay for health insurance and living expenses before Medicare and Social Security kick in at 65. A common piece of advice (often spat out by AI tools and outdated financial articles) is to use a "Split Fund Annuity Strategy." This involves buying a 5-year SPIA for immediate cash flow, and a MYG...

Are your bond funds underperforming or losing principal value due to market volatility? It might be time to rethink the "conservative" portion of your portfolio. In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert breaks down why Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuities (MYGAs) and Fixed Index Annuities (FIAs) have become far superior bond alternatives for retirees. Shawn critiques a Google Gemini compari...

If you want to squeeze every ounce of guaranteed interest out of today's high-rate environment—but absolutely refuse to take on stock market risk—you need to look at laddering Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuities (MYGAs). In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert explains why a MYGA ladder is far superior to a traditional CD ladder (hint: tax-deferred, triple-compounding growth!). Shawn brea...

Are you currently paying a financial advisor an ongoing management fee for your annuity? If you own a Fixed Annuity or a Fixed Index Annuity, you might be throwing your money straight out the window! In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert goes on a passionate rant about one of the most frustrating practices in the financial industry: advisors charging a 1% "Assets Under Management" (...

Are annuities a scam? It is one of the most common questions we get, and there is a massive amount of misinformation out there. In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert gives you 18 years of unfiltered, inside-baseball truth about the annuity industry. Shawn debunks the biggest myths perpetuated by YouTubers and "fiduciary" financial advisors, explaining why commissions are often drast...

There is a massive misconception in the financial world that commission-based annuities are bad and fee-based annuities are the "fiduciary" choice. In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert gives you the blunt, unfiltered truth: if you are paying an ongoing management fee for a fixed or fixed index annuity, you are getting ripped off! Shawn breaks down exactly how insurance actuaries de...

If you are looking for a safe, high-yield alternative to a CD, a Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuity (MYGA) is one of the best tools for the job. But not all fixed annuities are created equal! In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert shares his absolute favorite MYGA companies and specific contracts on the market right now. Shawn explains why he prefers "vanilla" contracts with straightforwa...

If you have heard a radio ad or seen a pop-up online offering an instant 20%, 30%, or even 50% "bonus" on your retirement savings, you need to watch this video before you sign any paperwork. In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert breaks down exactly how Premium Bonus Annuities work. He explains the brutal truth about how insurance actuaries design these contracts: if you are getting...

Taxes can be one of the biggest drains on your retirement savings, but with the right financial strategies, you can drastically reduce—or completely eliminate—your tax bill. In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert shares 7 high-level strategies to help you retire tax-free (or at least severely reduce your tax liability) using annuities and life insurance. Shawn breaks down how to maxi...

If you have an annuity that is underperforming and you want to move your money, your first thought might be to roll it into your employer's 401(k). But is that actually allowed? In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert answers the common question: Can I roll an annuity into a 401(k)? The short answer is usually no. Shawn explains how employer-sponsored plan rules and differing IRS tax...

Inheriting an annuity can be a massive financial blessing, but it often comes with a confusing set of IRS tax rules. Are those funds taxable? For most beneficiaries, the answer is yes—but how much you owe depends entirely on the type of annuity you inherited! In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert breaks down the specific tax codes for inherited annuities. You will learn the critical...

If you are planning for retirement, you might be confused by the terms "pension" and "annuity." While they both provide a contractually guaranteed paycheck for life, how they are funded—and who controls the money—makes all the difference! In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert breaks down the core difference: A pension is funded and controlled by your employer, while an annuity is a...

Traditional long-term care (LTC) insurance is notorious for two massive flaws: the premiums can skyrocket as you get older, and it’s a "use it or lose it" policy (just like car insurance). If you pay into it for 20 years and never end up needing a nursing home, your money is just gone! In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert reveals a far superior strategy for protecting yourself agai...

When you start researching annuities, you will likely see a lot of talk about "Comdex Scores" and financial strength ratings. But does a perfect score actually mean you are getting the best annuity product? In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert breaks down the top 10 highest-rated insurance companies in the United States based on their Comdex scores (including heavy hitters like New...

Are you a high-net-worth individual looking to pass your wealth down to your children or spouse? Or perhaps you are uninsurable and can't get a traditional life insurance policy? In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert reveals his absolute favorite annuity for maximizing your death benefit: the Athene Agility (7 or 10-Year) . While most annuity "bonuses" are just monopoly money used f...

If you search for the "best annuity companies," you will likely find a list of famous, A+ rated carriers. But here is the brutal reality: Many of the highest-rated companies actually sell the crappiest annuity contracts! In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert explains why shopping for an annuity is exactly like shopping for a car—you have to compare the actual "terms" (payouts, upsid...

Are you planning to use the "old-school" retirement strategy of living off your interest? While "sweeping the interest" from a fixed annuity or CD worked great for previous generations, relying on it today could be a massive mistake for your retirement income. In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert breaks down the critical differences between living off interest and utilizing a moder...

It can be incredibly tempting to chase the highest possible interest rate, but what happens when that top-tier rate is offered by a lower-rated insurance company? In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert answers a critical question: Should you buy an annuity from a B-rated carrier? The short answer is almost always no. Shawn explains why you should stick to carriers rated A-minus or be...

If you are planning to purchase an annuity with a large sum of money (such as $250,000 or more), you need to be very careful about where you place those funds. In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert answers a critical question: Should you put all of your annuity money into a single contract? The short answer is usually no. Just like the FDIC protects bank deposits up to a certain lim...

If you are trying to bridge an income gap in early retirement (for example, generating income from age 57 to 67 before your Social Security kicks in), you might be looking into a Deferred Income Annuity (DIA). But is that actually your best option? In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert breaks down a real-life case study of a 51-year-old client who wanted to guarantee a 10-year incom...

Thinking about buying an annuity? Before you sign any paperwork, you need to know exactly where you are buying it from. In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert shares 18 years of "inside baseball" industry secrets. Shawn breaks down the Top 10 absolute worst places to buy an annuity—and explains why purchasing from the wrong person could leave you with a B-rated company, locked into a...

Can you buy an annuity directly from an insurance company without using a broker? Yes, you can. But should you? Probably not. In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert delivers a brutally honest reality check about the new wave of direct-to-consumer annuity companies (like Gainbridge and Canvas). Many people try to bypass brokers because they are afraid of "hidden commissions." Shawn br...

If you have a pension, you might be wondering if you can cash it out to access your money. The answer depends entirely on where you are in the pension timeline! In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert explains the critical difference between cashing out before you start taking payments versus trying to cash out after you've retired. You will learn why taking a lump sum and rolling it...

If you are planning for retirement with your spouse, ensuring that neither of you runs out of money is likely your top priority. In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert explains exactly what a Joint and Survivor Annuity is, and the two completely different ways to set it up. Shawn breaks down the critical difference between traditional "Annuitization" (which forces you to give up cont...

Did you buy your annuity between 2000 and 2019? If so, you might be leaving thousands of dollars on the table! In this video, Shawn Plummer from The Annuity Expert answers a crucial question: Should I buy an annuity in a high-interest-rate environment, and should I replace my old one? Because interest rates are significantly higher today than they were a decade ago, newer annuity contracts are off...