Annuity Selling Tip - Sell to Feelings and Build the Relationship

I read a new book recently called Secrets to Social Success about how people interact socially and this quote was at the beginning and it sort of stunned me because it is the basis of how I sell annuities.

?The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.? -- William James

I have long believed that selling annuities is about knowing and understanding how people feel. Once you know how they feel it is possible to probe deeply into their personal life and their finances. This goes hand in hand with the need to be appreciated. Appreciation is understanding how another person relates to you, themselves and their surroundings.

Another famous saying is from Dale Carnegie:

?You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.?

Selling annuities is just that simple, being interested in another person enough to fully understand how they feel. The problem of course is how to bridge the gap from a new acquaintance to understanding how another person feels. That is the ?Art of the Deal.?

Selling annuities is learning the art of asking the right questions in order to solicit a feeling response. There are several ways to do this but my favorite has always been to ask someone what they hoped to accomplish and then expanding on that answer. Once someone tells you how they feel it opens a door to ask more and deeper questions that always lead you further into the feelings of the prospect.

In one sense you are really becoming friends with the prospect and the temptation to do so should be restricted. Selling product allows you to have a relationship of counselor/client but deepening into a relationship can be financially awkward for both participants. Remember, the secret to selling anything (annuities) is to understand how someone feels and how our simple products can bring benefit to their lives.

Bill Broich is thirty year annuity salesman who helps agents generate leads and sales. He blogs frequently about the insurance industry and selling. Visit his website for more information: Insurance News

For more tips on creating social success in business and your personal life visit Secrets to Social Success

Offshore Annuity, Deferred Variable Annuity

An Offshore Annuity works very similar to a deferred variable annuity. The owner pays into the annuity during the accumulation phase using either a lump sum or paying scheduled amounts over a period of time. The money in the annuity will gain interest at a rate determined by the investment portfolios in which it was placed, and either the owner or annuitant will be taxed once the withdrawal period begins.

You should remember that the owner and annuitant do not need to be the same, and for an Offshore Annuity the owner is usually an offshore trust. If the two annuities are so similar, then what is the benefit of having an Offshore Annuity versus a U.S-based deferred variable annuity?

BENEFITS AND ADVANTAGES OF AN OFFSHORE ANNUITY

There are several advantages to having an Offshore Annuity, but they can be easily narrowed down into three main benefits:

1. flexibility

2. protection

3. tax advantages

FLEXIBILITY OF AN OFFSHORE ANNUITY VS DEFERRED VARIABLE ANNUITY

When you choose to purchase a deferred variable annuity you are usually opting to place your money into mutual funds, equity funds, bond funds, etc. The investment portfolio chosen for your money is done by the insurance company you purchase the annuity from, and is limited to venders they have contracts with.

An Offshore Annuity offers more investment options since the overseas advisor can choose to place the money in any of the previously mentioned portfolios, or, for example, they can invest your money in gold. The overseas advisor is not limited by contracts and can invest your money into a number of diversified accounts. Your rate of return is not guaranteed, and is determined by the success of your advisor?s chosen investments.

ASSET PROTECTION AND SECURITY OF AN OFFSHORE ANNUITY

Offshore Annuities offer much more than just increased investment options; they offer a secure way to hide your existing assets from the U.S Government. This feature of an Offshore Annuity is also known as Wealth Preservation. If the offshore issuer of your annuity has no U.S-based affiliations, U.S Courts have no jurisdiction over them or your annuity. This means that anyone wishing to effect a garnishment of your assets must receive permission from the host country where your Offshore Annuity originates.

This is not as easy as it seems since Offshore Annuities are not subject to U.S foreign account reporting requirements. This feature of an Offshore Annuity makes it extremely difficult to link you to any funds other than what you report on your income taxes. It is important to note that while you can be both the owner and annuitant for your annuity, this situation only applies if the owner of the annuity is an offshore trust. (Please note Estate Street Partners and its partners do not ever condone on misreporting on your income.)

FRAUDULENT TRANSFER LAWS ON ANNUITY

If you are both the owner and annuitant, you may be ordered by a U.S. Court to use your annuity to pay a creditor. There are only a few states which exclude annuities from creditors, but you will be subject to fraudulent transfer laws if you obtained the annuity for the sole purpose of hindering or delaying a creditor?s claim.

Having an offshore trust take ownership of your annuity avoids this situation altogether, although it is important to investigate the fraudulent transfer laws of the offshore trust and choose only those which appear investor friendly.

OFFSHORE TRUST OF ANNUITY: WITHHOLD DIRECT ANNUITY PAYMENTS TO BENEFICIARY

Having an offshore trust for your annuity offers you, as trustee, the option of withholding direct annuity payments to a beneficiary. If the beneficiary is affected by a drug or alcohol addiction, or is battling legal issues, you may choose to allocate annuity payments indirectly for their benefit. This is very different from a deferred variable annuity which only offers a direct payment to the annuitant or beneficiary in the form of lump sum or scheduled payments.

TAX ADVANTAGES OF OFFSHORE ANNUITY AND OFFSHORE TRUST

Your Offshore Annuity will grow tax-deferred until you begin withdrawing money, and the U.S Government only requires a one percent excise tax on the premium you paid to implement your Offshore Annuity. Another difference between a deferred variable annuity and an Offshore Annuity owned by a trust, is your beneficiaries do not need to receive payments immediately following your death. Therefore they can delay paying taxes on your annuity until the trust begins distribution of the annuity.

HOW TO PURCHASE AN OFFSHORE ANNUITY? WHO IS IT FOR?

An Offshore Annuity is not for everyone. Most issuers require more than one million dollars to implement your annuity. As previously mentioned, it is wise to have an offshore trust own your annuity. In this case, the offshore trust completes the annuity application and sends it to the issuer. Upon approval you will wire funds to the bank account of your trust, who will then wire the premium to the issuer to complete the transaction.

author bio - Rocco Beatrice, CPA, MST, MBA
award-winning estate planning & trust expert
MS - Taxation, Master of Science Taxation
MBA - Management / Taxation
BSBA - Management / Accounting
CPA - Certified Public Accountant
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Asset Protection Irrevocable Trust, Estate Planning
Annuity Types
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tel: +1.508.429.0011 fax: +1.508.429.3034

Licensed Annuity Agent Reveals Secret Agenda

Large financial service organizations tilt the playing field against consumers. Metlife and, more recently, AXA Advisors are in the news for possibly offering incentives to representatives to recommend house products. It has been reported that some companies require the sales of proprietary products in order for agents to qualify for health insurance and other employee benefits.

Are consumers aware of this secret agenda when they meet with an agent? I am hesitant to use the term ?advisor? because that would insinuate the salesperson has the client?s best interest at heart. I am embarrassed to admit that I was offered a position with one of the companies mentioned in this article and was shown an impressive array of financial products available. It was then explained to me that house-brand life products and annuities paid much higher commissions than the ?outside? products and house-brand vehicles would help me qualify for incentive trips much faster.

I receive a monthly financial industry magazine that devotes much of their pages to advertisements from annuity companies pitching their wares. Each ad focuses on their high agent commission payout. One company will send my wife and I to Switzerland if I sell $2 million of their annuities. One ad is from a life insurance company offering a whopping 107% first year commission on the sales of their whole life policy! Another company?s full-page ad touts an average $17,000 commission per annuity and an annuity-selling coach explains that he is willing to teach me the secrets that helped him earn an ?incredible $381,522 in annuity commissions in only 6 months!?

One annuity company offers an a 7% commission on one annuity and an 11% commission on another annuity product. Here are some questions consumers should be asking.

Why would the company be willing to pay me 58% more compensation to sell one product over another? Answer: The higher-commission product is in the company?s best interest, not the client?s.

If an agent sells you a product paying 11% commission, will he advise you that he could have sold a product that paid him much less but he chose not to? Answer: I don?t think so.

Who is really paying the extra 58% in salesperson compensation? Answer: You, the client.

As a financial consumer, do I deserve to know any factor that is influencing the recommendations of my salesperson? Answer: A definitive YES.

Did the annuity salesperson hold himself out as a trusted financial advisor? Probably.

The problem with the real-life annuity example shown above is that the client has no way of knowing how much commission was earned by the agent. The 11% commission product will pay a much lower interest rate to the investor and/or have a much longer surrender period, tying the client?s money up for years. Fixed annuities and equity index annuities need complete commission transparency. Annuity companies know that higher commissions influence the sales practices of insurance agents and they also know annuity clients have no idea of the high price they are paying for a false sense of peace of mind.

I brought these issues up at a recent industry association luncheon. At my table, I had an insurance agent on my left side and an attorney on my right. To quote the agent, ?caveat emptor? or buyer beware. The solution for consumers, don?t be a buyer! See a fee-only advisor who is not tantalized by trips to Switzerland and high commission insurance products with no commission transparency. Also, consumers should demand legislation that forces all annuity commissions to be equal and completely disclosed to the client. The insurance and annuity industry should be embarrassed and any bad reputation is probably well deserved. The good news is that quality no-load annuities are available but don?t count on your average annuity salesperson to tell you about them.

Mark Diehl is a Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Financial Consultant, and author of The Wealth Management Manual available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

You can learn more about Mark at http://www.markdiehl.info or call 800-304-1232.

Annuities - Don't Put Your IRA In A Variable Annuity - Part 2

Last week I shared with you the real reason advisors push IRA accounts into variable annuities: the commission. If you?re getting ready to retire with a large IRA rollover, or your current IRA account is nearing the end of any surrender penalties, chances are you?ll be pitched this product. So this week I?m going to reveal more secrets about the truth behind the variable annuity sales pitch.

One of the biggest draws advisors use to get you to take the plunge is the promise of the big bonus. They?ll pay you 6%, 8% or even 10% extra, right up front, just for putting your money into their variable annuity. Sounds great, doesn?t it? Who wouldn?t want such a big boost to their nest egg, especially with the stock market returns of late? But remember, there?s no such thing as a free lunch.

In return for this lovely bonus, you end up paying higher recurring annual fees, usually .15% higher (or more) than regular variable annuities. These fees are charged on all of the money in the annuity and are a continued drag on performance. Surrender penalties are higher and longer, too. The truth is that when you take into account the increased fees and the extra years you have to stay in the annuity, you really aren?t getting a ?bonus? at all!

These bonuses aren?t just used to entice you to invest your original IRA rollover when you retire. They?re also used to encourage you to transfer out of an annuity you already own that?s still in the penalty period. Advisors will tell you that the bonus on this ?new-and-improved? annuity will ?pay you back? for the penalty you?ll pay to get out of your old commission-based investment. The truth is, by getting you to switch to the ?bonus? annuity, they earn a fat fee up-front. You end up with pretty much the same thing you had but now are locked into it for much longer. What kind of a ?deal? is that? The promise of multiple investment choices is another feature of the variable annuity sales pitch that doesn?t live up to its claim. It?s true that many variable annuities offer a multitude of mutual fund choices in various sub-accounts, including funds investing in bonds, small companies, large companies, international stocks and more. Surely out of all of these choices, anyone could create a balanced well-performing portfolio, right?

Not necessarily. It?s sort of like fishing. Who wants to fish in a pond full of minnows? Wouldn?t you rather drop your line where you have a greater chance of catching the big one? The mutual fund universe is full of thousands of choices. But only a small group of them are consistent top performers. Unfortunately, few variable annuities offer these big fish.

Some variable annuities feature a well-known fund already offered to the general public. But beware. This same fund will have much higher management fees within the annuity than it does outside of it, hampering its performance. I believe insurance companies make special deals with mutual fund companies to gain access to their management and then charge higher fees.

When you invest your money into a variable annuity, you?ll no longer have control over the choices at your disposal. The insurance company can change the investment choices whenever they want to and you have no recourse. Since your money is locked in for years, it will be very costly to change course a few years down the road should you be dissatisfied. What kind of choice is that?

So here?s the bottom line: variable annuities make big promises but don?t really deliver. Every feature they offer -- be it a big bonus, a multitude of investment choices, death benefit, or a guaranteed income stream -- comes at a very high price. High management fees and long, costly surrender penalties hinder your performance and rob you of your flexibility and control. The ones making the most money off of variable annuities are the advisors and the insurance companies. It turns out that variable annuities are a great investment?for them.

If you?d like free, clear, unbiased advice submit your questions to http://www.guardingyourwealth.com/askjeff.htm. Also, see answers to questions other readers have asked onthe Q&A page at http://www.guardingyourwealth.com.

Mr. Voudrie is a Certified Financial Planner, nationally syndicated newspaper columnist and President of Legacy Planning Group, Inc., a Private Wealth Management Firm in Johnson City, TN. He can be reached at jeff@guardingyourwealth.com

Nationally-syndicated financial columnist and Certified Financial Planner? Jeffrey Voudrie provides personal, in-depth money management services and advice to select private clients throughout the USA. He?ll answer your financial question ? FREE at http://www.guardingyourwealth.com

Annuities - Don't Put Your IRA In A Variable Annuity

If you?ve talked to a broker or agent about rolling over your retirement account, there?s a good chance the advisor recommended you invest in a Variable Annuity. Don?t do it! I believe the only reason a variable annuity is recommended for an IRA is so the advisor can earn more money. Let me explain.

There?s a high probability that if an advisor doesn?t recommend an Equity-Indexed Annuity for your IRA rollover, a Variable Annuity will be recommended instead. ?There are so many advantages to a variable annuity versus a mutual fund?, you?re told. I disagree. It?s advantageous for the advisor, not the investor.

In this article, I?ll debunk the two main arguments used in selling variable annuities. First, that you don?t pay a commission and secondly, the importance of the death benefit guarantee. I?ll explain how you pay dearly for both.

One of the main sales ?hooks? used in selling a variable annuity is that you don?t have to pay a commission. That can be very compelling when compared to a mutual fund in which you pay the all the commission up-front. Many advisors will even say that they get compensated by the insurance company, not you. Do you really believe that?

Insurance companies are not charitable organizations. If they are paying the broker, they?ll recoup those costs from you?the costs are just hidden so you don?t think you?re paying a commission.

The second main argument for using a variable annuity for an IRA is the death benefit (not offered with a mutual fund). ?That way you?ll never have to worry about your beneficiary getting less than you invested?, the thoughtful advisor says. This feature may seem nice, but you end up paying through the nose for it.

With all variable annuities there is a Mortality and Risk Expense (M&E) charge. Most variable annuities sold through commission-based advisors have an M&E charge of 1.45%. This is an annual fee that is charged against the entire value of the account, not the original investment. On a $500,000 investment that amounts to $7,250 the first year. If your account doubles in 10 years, you?d pay $14,500 that year.

Note that the M&E charge is in addition to the underlying money management fees charged by the people actually making the investment decisions. Their fees can range from .70% to 1.5%. All told, the fees associated with most variable annuities range from 2-3% per year. That?s a 2-3% hole you start in each year. That?s $10,000-$15,000 each year on a $500,000 investment?and that expense increases as the value of the account increases.

Do you really think it costs $10,000-$15,000 a year to cover the cost of the insurance associated with the death benefit? Of course not. The full $500,000 in our example isn?t really being insured, either. They?re only insuring the amount of loss. So if the investment loses 10%, the actual amount of ?insurance? is $50,000. Even when the investment is worth more than you paid you continue to be charge M&E.

So the death benefit associated with a variable annuity is either the most expensive insurance you?ll ever buy, or it pays for more than insurance. The M&E is where the insurance company makes their money. More importantly, the M&E is where the insurance company gets paid back the money it paid your advisor in commission. Here?s proof. The M&E on variable annuities offered by Vanguard (in which no one earns a commission) is about .60%. That?s over three quarters of a percent less than the 1.45% being paid to the commission-based advisor.

The real reason that you are recommended a variable annuity for your IRA isn?t that it?s better for you. It?s because it?s better for the advisor. If you invest $500,000 in a commission-based mutual fund, the advisor?s gross commission will only be about $10,000. The same investment in a variable annuity would yield gross commission to the advisor of $30,000-$35,000 or more!

If an advisor can earn 3 times more by getting you to invest in a variable annuity instead of a mutual fund, which do you think will be recommended?

Don?t fall for the ?put your IRA in a VA? trap. You are smarter than that.

Get free, clear, and unbiased advice by sending your questions to http://www.guardingyourwealth.com/askjeff.htm

Mr. Voudrie is a Certified Financial Planner, nationally syndicated newspaper columnist and President of Legacy Planning Group, Inc., a Private Wealth Management Firm in Johnson City, TN. He can be reached toll-free at 1-877-827-1463.

Nationally-syndicated financial columnist and Certified Financial Planner? Jeffrey Voudrie provides personal, in-depth money management services and advice to select private clients throughout the USA. He?ll answer your financial question ? FREE at http://www.guardingyourwealth.com

Life Annuity; Yes Or No?

A life annuity is a financial arrangement that allows a life insurance company to provide a series of future payments to an annuitant for a certain sum of money. The payment stream based upon the life expectancy of the annuitant is of unknown length but generally guaranteed to continue for a certain number of years.

Also it is possible to have a joint contract so that the payments stop upon the death of the second of two annuitants ( i.e., a joint and last survivor life annuity).

A life annuity can negatively affect an annuitant who dies before recovering his or investment. Such a situation is rememdied or offset, by the increase in income not otherwise available and the normally favorable tax consequences. Thus each annuitant must decide whether to sacrifice use of the money in favour of a greater return. If you need a greater guaranteed income then that is what a life annuity is designed to do.

Life Annuity Facts

A life annuity has a pro and con reputation from both the annuitant's and the issuer's viewpoint. Who need income or are financially unskilled. Yet, the annuity is an important financial tool for those.

Potential life annuitants are familiar with the ideas involved with life annuities through knowledge of their own pension plan from a business or government position. Most people believe that the odds are stacked in favor of the issuer, though issuers have grappled with the risk these policies bring.

Life Annuities Cost

From the issuer's viewpoint, there are many technical factors that determine the cost of an annuity payment from the life expectancy of the annuitant and the yields on investments made. There are expenses (including distribution costs) related to managing the money and risk management cost for the issuer which can balloon if annuitant's returns are higher.

So Should I Be Looking At A Life Annuity

You should be looking at a life annuity if your age and the prevailing long long term interest rates will guarantee you a superior after tax return. You may be able to generate more income if you actively manage your income but this takes time and expertise. Or perhaps you are just fed up with worrying about the net return and want a life annuity to provide you with a guaranteed income.

There is no easy answer to this life annuity question as we all differ. And often, if there is a large age difference in a marriage, points of view can be very different.

Overall it is necessary to consider all the alternative such as bonds or fixed interest rate deposite along with a life annuity.

Ivon T. Hughes of The Hughes Trustco Group is the author of the Life Insurance Handbook: How To Get The Best & Cheapest Life Insurance available FREE to all new subscribers at: http://www.hughestrustco.com

Prospect Accessibility is the Key to Annuity Leads and Sales

We all want to make the big annuity sale. We all want to climb to the top of our industry and get that special trip the insurance company is offering. We all want the respect and the income we envision for ourselves.

So why is it some of us can achieve it and some of us languish in mediocrity?

Is it because we don?t work as hard as the big producers? Is it because we don?t have the magical close? Is it because we don?t have the best products?

It actually is none of those things. What is it then?

It is nothing other than target market accessibility. It is that simple.

Here is an example, if we only want to work with brain surgeons, how likely is it we will have a full calendar every day?

What about CFOs, CEOs? Get it! The more refined our target market is the more narrow our options. So what would be a great target market?

A nationally know brokerage house recently put in guidelines for their brokers as to who would be the basic client. In other words what was the lowest denominator for a potential client? They suggested to prospect based on income and net worth.

Their suggested guidelines were household income of $100,000 and a minimum net worth of $1,000,000. I looked at this and wondered how hard it would be to find people in this category and if I could find them, could I see them under a favorable basis?

If all the brokerage firms were chasing the same target market, where should I go? How do I fill my calendar each day with my target market? It really was easy once I realized who would best benefit from my simple and easy to understand products.

Here is my target market and one in which there are unlimited people to see and guess what? They don?t come with advisors in tow! I can see them for daytime appointments and they appreciate my annuity products.

My target market:

A married couple with total assets of $600,000 or LESS! This would include their home. Household income was not important and it still isn?t. I like folks in there 70?s and who would have about $200,000 in available assets. A typical case would be an IRA with about $100,000 and the rest in banks and mutual funds.

This target market is everywhere and they all want someone to help them.

If you want to be an annuity salesman and sell $10,000,0000 a year in premium do what I do. Find nice people who are in this target market who will see you and who will appreciate your products. You will have more annuity leads and prospects than you can shake an appointment calendar at.

It is as easy as can be. Let the brokers all fight it out over their target market, use mine and get rich.

Bill Broich is a 30 year annuity salesman who helps insurance agents attract more annuity prospects and sell more annuities. Visit his website for a free annuity quote. Annuity.com

Best Fixed Annuity Coverage - How To Find It

To get the best fixed rate annuity coverage you definitely need to shop around to find a good deal. The easiest way to do this is to get on the Internet and start comparing insurance rates. There are hundreds of sites on the World Wide Web that specialize in offering charts and product sheets so that you can compare different offers side by side. These types of insurance comparison web sites that make it quick and easy for anyone to compare different offers and interest rates, even if you have never taken out insurance or a pension before.

The reason that most people end up paying too much for their fixed annuity plans is that they don't bother to shop around for the best annuity coverage. It is such a tedious job that sometimes they just take the first deal that they run across.

This is just not the way to go about shopping for the best fixed annuity coverage. You should at least go to the same type of time and trouble that you would to shop around to find the best credit cars, mortgage or car insurance. You should also do this in a short amount of time as it is inevitable that the insurance company will eventually ask for your social insurance number. This of course is used to check your credit rating, which can also have an impact on the rate of interest that you are offered.

Another thing to look at, besides price is just exactly what the plan actually covers. Just because it is cheap does not mean it is the best fixed annuity coverage for you. Finding the ideal plan can mean taking many other things into consideration besides price including fees, the price of withdrawal penalties and the structure of the plan. Most of this information can be found in the fine print of your agreement with the company, which of course you should ask to see and read thoroughly before signing on the dotted line.

Tiffany Walker has finally revealed her annuity secrets online. Read the latest by clicking here: Best fixed annuity coverage.

Fixed Annuity Company - The Concept

The elders of the Presbyterian Church first brought the concept of a fixed annuity company to light in the mid seventeenth century. The idea was to provide a yearly pension for widows and the elderly members of the clergy. The concept of the fixed annuity company hasn't changed much in the present day. Perhaps the only difference is the tax deferment that is characteristic of most modern annuities.

The idea behind an annuity is that they allow you to invest in a tax-free fund for a number of years until you are ready to withdraw money. Once you withdraw from the fund you would be taxed on it as you would regular income. In the financial world the process of providing you with a check that you cash every year from your saved taxed deferred funds is called annuitization.

Every fixed annuity company today will also offer you the guaranteed income for life option. You can also opt to be paid the annuity for a certain specified period of years which of course if very handy if you ever suffer an illness or disability.

There is not really such a thing as a fixed annuity company. If you went through the Yellow Pages you probably would not find such an entity. Most of the time it is an insurance company offering you the fixed annuity. Annuities are also sold through licensed insurance brokers and agents. Using a broker to find an annuity deal is a good idea as it allows you to compare various interest rates offered by different insurance companies.

The reason that it is a good idea to invest in products offered by a fixed annuity company is that if it ever goes out of business that the other insurance companies in the state where the defunct insurance company is are obligated by law to honor the conditions of your annuity.

Tiffany Walker has finally revealed her annuity secrets online. Read the latest by clicking here: Fixed Annuity Company.

Annuity Buyer Guides

Annuities are one of the most important and inevitable and lucrative policies for the well being of the senior citizens of America. However, at some crossroads of life one might need to have their future to be planned in a proper way, especially during and after the retirement phase. A senior citizen, anyone of age sixty-five and above, has the full right to utilize his or her insurances, life insurances, liquid assets, pension schemes, financial plans and such other things including the retirement plans. Proper planning is key to the secured future. An annuity is the ideal plan for such phases of life.

The best age to buy an annuity is 55 or older. An annuity is the ideal life planning tool for a senior citizen that comes up to him or her with all the advantages near the end of his life. The person who buys such an annuity plan to secure their post-retirement phase is called the annuity buyer. This annuity buyer has to pay what are called basis points. These are basically the fees for the annuities. The annuity fees or the basis points show a percentage of one?s investment. But one has to be very careful before committing him or herself in buying such annuities. There are a lot of guides on the issue that sometimes prove to be of great use to those who are thinking of buying such annuities. There are books available in the market and there are a lot of online resources as well to guide you through the dos, don?ts and other aspects of annuities.

An example would clear out the importance of annuity buyer guides. All the basic lucrative returns of an annuity is already known to us, but one should pay attention to the fact that one can't withdraw the money until one is 59? or one is hit with a 10% penalty. There a lot of other such little things about which one should have a prior knowledge. This is where the annuity buyer guides come in useful.

Annuity Buyer provides detailed information on Structured Settlement Annuity Buyer, Annuity Buyer, Annuity Buyer Payments, Annuity Buyer Guides and more. Annuity Buyer is affiliated with Condos For Sale.

Annuity Owner Mistakes

Okay, so I can tell you I have sat in front of countless numbers of people who have made mistakes when purchasing and owning annuities. And I have visited people who wish they never got involved in an annuity. And I have seen people who say that their annuity is their worst nightmare...So what is it that makes the annuity such a bad thing for some people and such a great vehicle for others??? Well I am about to tell you...and it all goes back to the annuity owners biggest MISTAKE. Yes, not mistakes but mistake.
Let me explain to you. Most annuity and insurance agents out there have what is called their "best product." IT is the product that can supposedly solve every investment need for any investor. And they make it sound so good that when someone is shopping for annuities, they ask the salesperson, "what is the best annuity?" and this is the biggest mistake. For all you know, the best annuity to the salesperson may be the one that pays the best commission to him. This question gets more people in trouble than any other question in the investment world..."What is the best ____________ (annuity, stock, mutual fund, etc)? Like I say all the time, there is no best investment because everyone's needs are different. Each investment has it's own benefits which have to be matched to an investor's needs.
So in essence, the biggest mistake is searching for the "best" investmtent. So how do you avoid the annuity owner's biggest mistake? By asking a better question? The best question is "What is the best investment FOR ME?" That question is totally different. You see, to further elaborate, the biggest mistake involves not doing your homework. When you don't do your homework and you look for the "best" investment, you will probably end up with something that you don't want. By doing your homework, you can figure out what you DO want and what you DON'T want. And when a salesperson presents something to you, you can quickly see if it fits your needs or not. If it does not, then the salesperson probably didn't do his job.
One tool to assist you in this search is the book, "Annuities: The Shocking Truths Revealed" Yes, you guessed it; it is not free. But it is valuable. It not only tells you what annuities can and cannot do, it gives you the right questions to ask your agent. It helps you avoid all of the annuity owner mistakes that are made. This is because it tells you everything the agnets, banks, and insurance companies don't. And it revolves around the premise of doing your homework so an annuity doesn't become your worst nightmare.
The bottom line is, always ask, "what is the best annuity for me?" And if the salesperson starts shooting out answers without asking you about your situation, then run...run and find another person. And before they ask you about your situation, it's a good idea to know your own situation. The more you can help a GOOD salesperson, the more they can help you. And remember, there is no "best investment." There is only a best investment for each person relative to their situation and their needs. And please remember...
Ignorance is not bliss...
Tony Bahu is a licensed annuity agent well versed with equity index annuity,
index annuities, equity indexed annuities, index annuity and indexed annuities and has authored 'Annuities: The Shocking Truths Revealed', which reveals the secrets that the banks and insurance companies don't want you to know.
For more information on his document, visit the site below right now!
http://www.AnnuityMD.com