GILBERT, AZ — April 21, 2026 — Brett Blake, Chief Executive Officer of Annuity.com, the first and most trusted annuity resource on the web, will appear on an upcoming episode of Moving America Forward with Tom Hegna, airing April 24, 2026. The interview will focus on the gap between what American retirees need and what they understand — and how Annuity.com plans to close it.
The 54/25 Gap
Research consistently shows that 54% of Americans want guaranteed lifetime income in retirement — yet fewer than 25% know what an annuity actually is. That disconnect is the central problem Annuity.com exists to solve: make guaranteed-income products clear, comparable, and trustworthy for consumers, and put high-quality education and independent product data in the hands of every licensed agent who serves them.
Refinance Your Retirement
Most of the financial industry is focused on accumulation — getting you to a number. Blake will argue that retirees today need the opposite: a plan for turning assets they already have into income they can't outlive. A single reallocation can meaningfully change the picture. In one illustrative case Blake returns to often, a retiree sitting on $201,000 of underperforming assets repositioned them through a guaranteed-income product and projected lifetime income equivalent to more than $325,000 of pre-tax withdrawal value over their retirement. That's the thesis Blake calls "refinance your retirement" — and why he believes annuities deserve to be a core retirement asset class, not a footnote.
Annuities Under Management (AUM for Retirees)
Blake will introduce a concept Annuity.com is calling Annuities Under Management — the retirement-income equivalent of the AUM model wealth managers have used for decades in the accumulation world. Instead of a one-time product transaction, AUM-for-retirees means an ongoing relationship: income planning, tax efficiency, suitability reviews, and coordination across carriers, held to the same fiduciary-style bar consumers already expect.
Annuity Intelligence: AI Built for Agents
Supporting that model is Annuity Intelligence — Annuity.com's internally-developed AI platform for licensed agents. It compares 2,400+ products across 60+ top-rated carriers, surfaces suitability flags, and helps agents present the right options in plain English. Every output is audit-logged and compliance-reviewed, reflecting a foundational belief at the company: AI should make the agent better, not replace the licensed human relationship at the heart of a retirement-income decision.
A Million-Agent Distribution Thesis
Annuity.com operates an independent agent model — not captive to a single carrier — and is building toward a distribution footprint that can credibly serve every American household that wants guaranteed income. The company pairs that distribution with a builder-and-equity model for its top agents, giving career-minded advisors real ownership upside as they help the business grow.
Worry Less. Live Longer.
Blake's closing note: the point of guaranteed retirement income isn't a product — it's a life. People who stop worrying about outliving their money tend to live longer, healthier lives. That's the promise behind Annuity.com's tagline, Worry less. Live longer.
About Annuity.com
Annuity.com is the first and most trusted annuity resource on the web, independently comparing 2,400+ annuity products from 60+ top-rated carriers. The company provides live MYGA rate data, retirement-income calculators, expert-reviewed education, and access to a national network of licensed, independent annuity specialists. Annuity.com's content is reviewed under the editorial oversight of Bart Catmull, CPA, NACD.DC, with board-level input from retirement-income educator Tom Hegna.
About Moving America Forward
Moving America Forward is a long-form interview program hosted by Tom Hegna, a retired U.S. Army Lt. Colonel, former First Vice President at New York Life, and one of America's most recognized retirement-income educators. The program profiles business leaders and educators working on real-economy problems, with an emphasis on retirement, financial literacy, and independent distribution.