The Expensive Truth About Annuities

We’re talking about something that fires up a lot of folks in the financial world: the truth about annuities. We break down the four different types of annuities and the expensive fees associated with these investment vehicles.

We’re exposing the good, the bad, and the ugly in today’s show. If you’ve been contemplating buying an annuity for the stability and guarantee, you don’t want to miss this episode.

But before we get into the complexity of annuities, we want to take a moment to remind our loyal listeners that we’re fee-only financial planners outside of the podcast, and we always welcome having our listeners become clients. If you like our common sense approach to all things finance and want to learn more, please feel free to contact us: brian [at] money-guy.com or bo [at] money-guy.com.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why you need to be aware of your fears and the impact it can have on your investing
• How your perception of the market influences your investment behavior
• Why the guarantees promised by annuities aren’t as good as they seem
• How investing in a diversified portfolio can get you greater returns (more often) than an annuity
• The four different types of annuities and a brief explanation of each
• The inflation risk inherent in fixed annuities and how it hurts savers
• Why the loss of flexibility is a huge downside to annuities
• The quirky limitations of annuities, especially equity-indexed annuities
• All the different fees that make annuities such an expensive option
• When annuities are an appropriate solution for your portfolio
• Five warning signs you’re getting ripped off when it comes to purchasing an annuity
• The importance of expertise and trust in the professional you’re buying an annuity from

Resources

• Prudential Outsmart the Market Game
• Brian’s posts on US News & World Report

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