Recently, I read an article written regarding a financial institution exclaiming that annuities were too complicated for the average investor. The article went on the explain that because of the complexity, investors should stick to products that were much simpler to understand. Simple concepts and products recommended by the firm such as stocks, bonds, preferred [...]
As with most Americans, I have been stunned by the continued cost of health insurance premiums as well as the decline in covered benefits. Recently, I was due for an annual checkup with my physician. What I wasn’t prepared for was the amount of out of pocket costs I was billed. Not only had my [...]
As a child, I remember well my mother taking me to the bank in our small town. The bank was more than a place for money; it was a center for a social meeting, a place you would see your friends, a place to visit and grab the latest news. When I explained to my mother [...]
A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed a considerable deficiency in the amount of savings set aside for retirement. The report showed that in the group of 55-64, almost 55% of those households had little or no money set aside for retirement. For those who have saved for retirement in that age [...]
As we age, the need for a life insurance policy can change. Numerous opportunities may exist for you to make changes to your current life insurance policy to establish a different type of benefit. • Exchange: Exchange your life insurance policy for an annuity to develop an income stream. The life insurance cash value will [...]
Distribution fees in mutual funds are designed to cover ongoing marketing and support cost for services provided to owners of mutual funds. Distribution fees are paid to the sales organizations that provide the clients for the mutual fund company. 12 B-1 fees are subtracted from the mutual fund owners share value. These are fees paid [...]
An easy example of which to choose is based on a very hard to answer a question. How long do I need the protection? One fundamental thing to understand is that life insurance is not an investment, regardless of what an insurance agent tells you. Life insurance is for protection and protection only. The two [...]
Imagine the life of a physician. Many years of study, financial hardships, long time periods as a resident, then a physician has to build a practice, investing more money and dealing with government regulations. Being a physician is not for everyone, and it is a tough career choice., but for many, it is also [...]
The popularity of tax-deferred annuities has increased since the 1970's into a natural choice for safe money alternatives for many Americans. The primary reason is the lack of exposure to market risk and the contractual guarantees provided by these products. Many of the benefits that first attracted consumers to annuities, tax deferral, and probate avoidance, [...]
Bulls, bears, up, down, who knows? There are numerous indicators that the current stock market could be subject to a slip into a full-blown “Bear” market. This would convert to longer-term losses in equities as well as a significant shift in investments to bonds and annuities. With a bear market can also come exposure to [...]
