Thursday, May 1, 2008

More Bottom Life Profits by Hiring a Specialist to Evaluate Your Annuity

While watching golf on TV the other day I was inspired by the name on the hat that Phil Michelson wore. I Googled them and found out they were business consultants. Their expertise was consulting with medium to large companies to evaluate their business practices and to locate bottom line methods to increase profit. I thought how in the world did I miss this for my little annuity business.

I hired a business consultant to look at all aspects of my business and help me make better business decisions so I can be just like GM, Boeing and United Airlines. The overall cost was a little more than $5,000 and I spent about 2 days answering questions and filling out questionnaires. All the information was entered into their computer and it must have cranked on it for at least a day. The report was mind-blowing; things I had never even considered were introduced to me.
They had evaluated all my expenses and the bottom line were these ideas.

? Send E cards and save on postage.
? Buy all my stationary in bulk based on a 12 month need.
? Use only ATMs that have no fees.
? Cancel magazine subscriptions and use the internet for my news.
? Cancel my whole life insurance policy and replace it with term.
? Make my 2 employees coshare their health insurance cost.
? Cut back on Starbucks and make coffee at the office, quit going out to the coffee shop.
? Buy copy paper in bulk one pallet at a time and make the stationary company store it for me until I need it

I read all 99 of their suggestions and thought... not no, but Hell No!

Who wants to live like that? Who wants to be that extreme. What should I do if I want to have a better bottom line? It was very easy, see only 10 more people in a year and this will result in 1 ? more annuity sales. Based on my average care size of $77,000 this would provide an additional $10,000 to my bottom line. Only 10 more new seens a year! How simple is that?

Here is my plan for expense reduction?.DON?T!!! Life is way to short for this type of bottom line drive.

When your whole focus is on reduction and not sales you become very negative and not proactive. We are annuity salesmen and we need to be active and proactive.

One terrific tax benefit I did receive from my consultant, I got to write off his consulting fee. My attitude is that it is much simpler to sell than to reduce.

Bill Broich is a 30 year annuity salesman who helps agents generate annuity leads. Visit his website to learn more - Annuity.com
#BREAK# #TITLE#Attention Annuity Salespersons - Control Your Own Destiny#/TITLE#

Sales organizations love to sign you up. Contracting you is one of their greatest joys and why shouldn?t it be. You do the work, you invest your money and they get the cream of the overrides. What do they invest in you?Oh yes I know?.Service! In my book, service is a synonym for greed.

Answer these questions:

? How many times have you had an annuity marketing company attempt to recruit you?

? How many telephone calls and emails do you get each week from annuity marketers?

? How many times has a marketing company offered you free leads as an incentive to contract?

? How many times has a marketing company offered you their ?secret? CD to learn what how the big boys do it?

    Insider Secret Number 1:
You control your contracts Here is my very first rule and one I hope you will adopt. Get a pre-release letter! When you contract with a marketing company they forget to tell you about being released in the future!

? What if your situation changes?

? What if you found a marketing system better suited to your personal situation?

? What if you wanted a change?

? What if we did not satisfy your marketing needs?

? How do you get released?

Do not become a slave to your FMO, demand the pre-release, they all will do it!

    Insider Secret Number 2:
Most annuity sales marketing organizations do not know how to sell annuities. It is the old saying.. Those that can?t sell, TEACH!

Learn how to sell annuities and how actually market yourself and your business from ?those that do.? This is an easy topic to check out, just ask your FMO how they would make a sale in a specific situation and their answer is always based on product. Try it and see for yourself. If you are committed to working with an FMO, also hire yourself a coach, one who has sold and who can sell. This is the very easiest direction.

    Insider Secret Number 3:
Insurance company products are designed for only one reason, to maximize profit to the insurance company.

The newest, latest and greatest annuity is just a new wrapper around the same old product. The insurance company buys bonds to guarantee the performance and no matter how you look at it, the yield and the annuities are all in the same arena. Just more sizzle. If you chase the new products you will be just that ?a chaser.?

Chasers never build a practice, never have anything worthwhile to sell to their clients other than the newest wrapper on the same product.

Be different! Sell annuities based on the benefits they can provide to the owner. The real reason to buy an annuity is not based on yield but on benefits.

Learn these secrets and do as much for yourself as possible. Rely on the FMO as little as possible.

Bill Broich is a 30 year annuity salesman who helps agents generate annuity leads. Visit his website to learn more - Annuity.com

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Sunday, March 16, 2008

How to Sell Your Promissory Note-Real Estate-Business-Annuity-Structured Settlement

First, the definition of a Promissory Note:

(A promissory note is defined as 'A promise to pay a certain amount of money on a periodic or future lump sum basis, defined by the terms and conditions contained in the Note Document'. Usually, a Promissory Note is constructed during a tangible property sale event where the property seller Takes Back a promise-to-pay (Promissory Note) instead of Cash.)

Owning a promissory note, instead of requiring cash, sounded like a good idea at the time you sold your real estate or business or accepted your Structured Settlement because you would have a guaranteed steady stream of monthly payments at a reasonable interest rate. Right?

Then, you soon found out that:

1. The interest rate you charged is now too low,

2. The payor of the note does not always make the payments on time so you have to call and demand the payments,

3. You have to pay taxes on the income,

4. You figured out that the value of your note diminishes everyday, and,

5. You could put the lump sum of the note money to better or now-needed use.

So, you decide to sell your promissory note.

1. First you went to your bank and they would not buy it nor did they have any information about how to sell it.

2. Next, you asked your friends and one said Find a Note Broker. So, you searched on the Internet and found a million web sites all purporting to be able to buy your note. You talked with a few but did not get any satisfaction or few return calls. Now the frustration sets in.

Here's how the Note Buying business works:

1. Notes are purchased by seasoned, reputable investors seeking long term returns on an investment using their own money. Investors can be individuals, groups, companies, pension funds or specialty funds.

2. A note is valued according to the long term yield to the investor. It?s named, Time Value of Money. Or, a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow. Therefore, your note can be purchased at a discount or less than its current principal amount in order to provide the investor?s needed long-term-yield.

3. The note yield and value is determined by the Note Interest Rate, the credit score of the note payor, the term of the note, the payment schedule, the Loan To Value Ratio (LTV), the payor's equity in the property, the security for the note and the terms of the note.

4. Your note can be purchased by an investor based on his/her required note type, note criteria and required yield.

5. Note investors specialize in different types of notes. Some buy only 1st Deed of Trust Real Estate Notes or Mortgages, some buy only Business Notes or Annuities, etc. To make a long story short... you do not know if the person you are talking to is a Broker or an Investor or both or what note type, criteria and yield he/she requires. Frustrating. Now you think all note investors and brokers and the whole note buying industry is sleazy, unethical, unprofessional and worthless. Well, I admit that part of that is true for many unprofessional brokers but REAL Investors and REAL Brokers are here, honest, professional and provide a valuable service. How do you know? Just ask him or her if he/she is a Broker or Direct Investor, what types of notes they desire and what is their criteria and process. More on this in another article.

This is what you need to know and do regarding your promissory note:

a. The value of your note is determined by when and how you construct it. When constructing your note, assume you will want to sell it within the first year. If constructed properly and professionally, it will have high value. Professionally means using the services of an experienced Business or Real Estate attorney to construct your Note. Never use one of the simplified Note Forms available anywhere. Think about it... why do you think Real Estate Lenders use exquisite, complex, complete Loan Documents that are constructed for their own lending criteria? Next, Real Estate secured notes are valued on the appraised value or sale price of the property minus the payor equity and the credit worthiness of the payor. Business Notes are valued on the note payor credit worthiness and historic business performance.

b. The highest valued notes are those that the current Note principal amount is not more than:

i. 80% of the sales price of the Real Estate if it's a 1st Deed of Trust Note/Mortgage, or 20% if a 2nd Deed of Trust and the total of a 1st and 2nd doesn?t exceed 80% of the sales price or,

ii. If a business note, 67% of business sale price.

c. The payor responsible for the performance (payments) of the Note credit score must be above 640 (the national average credit score is 678) when you construct the Note (The lower the credit score, the less your note is worth). Always obtain a current Credit Report on the payor before concluding a note transaction. You have the legal right (by virtue of the Federal Fair Credit Act) to request or obtain one because you are going to be their creditor. Go to www.transunion.com and click on Consumer Info to obtain a Tri-Merge credit report (it will provide you a payor score and report from each of the three credit reporting agencies). You will need the payor full name, address, SS# and birth date. You do not need your payor?s approval to obtain their credit report because you are going to be the payor?s creditor.

d. The Note payments should be monthly.

e. The Note terms should be:

i. For Real Estate Notes: 'Amortized Monthly, Payments in Arrears'. Or, Amortized Monthly, Payments in Arrears for 15-30 years with a full Balloon payment due in 5 years. Try not to accept an 'Interest Only, Full Balloon at the end' Terms.

ii. For Business Notes: ?Amortized Monthly, Payments in Arrears for no more than 5 years?.

f. Your Note should carry an Interest Rate tied to Prime + 2%. Prime of this date is 8.25%.

g. Your Business-Promissory-Note should have a Collateralized Personal Guarantee from the payor equal to the Original Principal Amount of your Note. This Collateral should be tangible, like Real Estate, that is owned by the payor outside this note transaction.

h. The above are the basics. Your accomplished attorney should know how to construct your note correctly and know who we are so he can contact us from our web site for knowledge and instruction.

Now, Selling your Note:

1. Your first goal is to receive a cash-purchase-quotation. Only Direct Investors can provide this. A broker will take your information, find an investor, obtain a quote then present you with that quote less his fee. Sometimes Brokers have investors that will pay you more cash than professional investors, but there is usually a catch. Don't get me wrong. Note Brokers serve a valuable purpose.

2. Gather all the information about your note. You can find the note questions you have to have answers for at www.notefundingcenter.com/sellnote.html Here you just click on the ?Type of Note? and a Note information Worksheet displays asking all the questions needed to provide a VALID cash-purchase-quotation.

3. Find a reputable Note Broker or Direct Investor. Search on the Net with keywords ?sell note?, ?note buyer?, ?mortgage buyer?, ?annuity buyer?, 'structured settlement buyer'. You will find us plus hundreds of others. Contact the ones you like and ask questions. Just remember, there are very few REAL direct Investors. Just ask.

4. If you want to use a Broker, (a reputable Note Broker will request specific information about your note; he will package the information and contact us and other Note Buyers he has brokering agreements with). Some will broadcast your note to everyone on the Net. Broadcasting will devalue your note to almost $0.00. So, if you want to use a broker, ask him to provide you with the list of his contracted buyers he is sending it to and agree in writing that he only present your note to those you have agreed.

5. If you want to list your note for sale on the Internet yourself, there are many Note Listing sites where you can list your note and investors will find your note and contact you. This is named 'Broadcasting'. See #4 above.

6. A Note Investor/Buyer like us , will request detailed information about your note before providing you with a cash-purchase-quotation. Logical, right?

7. You should receive numerous phone and email communications from your selected Broker or Investor prior to providing a cash-purchase-quotation. In our case, after 30 years in the business and 50% referral customers, we contact you within 1 day of your note information submission and explain the process, provide you a personal supervisor and ask any additional questions. Then, provide you a cash-purchase-quotation.

8. Your Note cash-purchase-quotation is usually a Net-Cash-To-You quotation. Sometimes it will be "$XXXXX.XX with your provided Appraisal and Title. You should always know what your Net-Cash will be after selling and funding. Just ask.

9. After you accept the cash-purchase-quotation,

a. You will be requested to agree to the note-purchase-quotation and provide certain note related agreements and documents. (You already have the majority of the documents.)

b. The note-funding-processing-service will conduct ?due diligence? on the note, property, documents, credit and history.

c. Assuming all the Note components pass the due diligence, your note will enter into ?Transaction Processing and Funding? and you will receive your cash funds. Normally this process takes up to 30 days.

Bottom Line:

1. Your Promissory Note is your serious financial asset. Treat it with respect.

2. Construct your note so that it is salable at the highest possible Cash.

3. Have all the logical Note information readily available if you want to sell it for the most cash. See our web site for the information and documents needed. Or, email us with your questions.

4. Select a note buyer/investor/broker/listing service that you feel provides you the best service.

5. Inform your existing Note Payor that you intend to sell your Promissory Note of which he is the payor. He will have NO negative effects. The only change he will experience is to whom he makes his existing payments.

6. Don't get caught up in the excitement of the deal.

7. Heed all the above.We are here to help you from beginning to end. Remember, we have been buying Notes for 30 years and respect that this is probably your first and only Note and a valued asset.

notefundingcenter.com

The Author of this article is David Castellini. He is founder and President of Note Funding Center- http://www.notefundingcenter.com, a 30 year buyer of Notes, Mortgages, Annuities and Structured Settlements. He and the company are considered the authority on Future Income Stream Instruments, cash-flow-instruments and seller-financed-notes and seem to provide the most accurate information, best prices and best service. He is also a Banking Consultant and Graduate Business School professor. David can be contacted from our web site.

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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Annuity Marketing By Radio

I know what you are thinking? I must be kidding - right?

Think about our target market. Who are they and how do they access their information? It is a statistic that only 7% of people over age 65 are online. That means that 93% of our target market is accessing information by other sources such as the newspaper, television and the RADIO!

How do you do it? There are many options available to you. Offer your services to the Saturday Morning local interest station. There are many of these and your cost will be zilch. They are always looking for guests and if you offer a newsworthy topic it is very easy to get yourself on the air and it will be a clever annuity marketing tactic.

A possible target may be, ?Uncover the facts about Long Term Care Insurance? or ?How to manage your IRA for maximum income.? There are so many topics available to you that a little imagination will leave you with endless possibilities.

How about pay to play? Easy to do and lots of sources. I like the idea of a Saturday Morning slot and if you can get it close to 10:00 it is perfect. Buy the air time for 30 minutes and talk about your list of topics. Have you ever thought about doing an annuity seminar on the radio? Just repeat the strong points of your seminar over the air and invite people to call in for questions.

Have the station capture the caller?s information like address and number.

Offer a booklet to mail out after the show. The callers are all solid prospects and because you are on the ?RADIO? you are a perceived expert!

Trade air time for commercials. This idea really works, offer the station an advertising commitment for air time. Trade $1,000 of commercials for the ? hour of air time.

What do you advertise?

Your radio program! How about peripheral annuity marketing? Ask the station for permission to use their name on your web site or your printed materials. Have fun with this and be informal while at the same time being the local ?EXPERT.?

Your radio show can be cross marketed to your existing client base and to all new prospects you meet. ?Oh, you are the radio guy.? Instant credibility!

There are numerous ways to find annuity leads, be different and be creative and your annuity marketing results will explode.

Bill Broich is a 30 year annuity salesman who helps agents ramp up their annuity marketing efforts. Visit his website to learn more. Annuity.com

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Thursday, January 10, 2008

A Structured Settlement Annuity: Comparatively Speaking

In earlier articles, we've seen the benefits of structured settlement annuities over lump sum payments. For some, this protects them from the temptation of spending the bulk of their payment on unsound or unwise investments. Protection and incoming cash flow over the long haul are what structured settlement annuities provide. However, not every person faced with a lump sum payment necessarily will be tempted to spend the money rashly. Obviously, there are people who are savvy investors and think that given the opportunity with a lump sum payment over a structured settlement annuity, they will be able to make more money investing on their own.

With that in mind, let's take a look how a structured settlement annuity compares with one of the most popular investment vehicles, the equity income mutual fund.

First, let's look at who issues the annuity and the mutual fund. A structured settlement annuity is issued by a life insurance company. An equity mutual fund is issued by and investment company that pools the assets of multiple investors in equity securities.

Next, let's look at the long term capabilities of each to provide a lifetime income. An annuity payment plan is created up front and is a predictable and dependable source of income that can not be outlived. A mutual fund can be a high paying investment. However it can also be highly volatile and unpredictable based on market conditions and can actually lose money and stop your earnings if the fund performs poorly.

What about guaranteeing the payouts?
An annuity is guaranteed by the issuer of the annuity based on the terms of the structured settlement. A mutual fund is solely dependent on market activity and thus can not be guaranteed.

What about costs?
The annuity has no cost associated with it. A mutual fund can be subject to a number of fees, like a sales load, yearly management fee, and marketing expenses. Even the lowest cost index funds have some costs associated with them.

What about keeping up with inflation?
A structured settlement annuity can have a cost of living adjustment incorporated into the annuity at the time it is designed. An equity mutual fund can outperform inflation based on how the underlying securities perform. However it is difficult to predict what the return will be and remember "past performance is not and indicator of future results."

But what about the dreaded T-word....Taxes??
A structured settlement annuity is tax free as long as the money received is the result of personal physical injury or physical illness. As income is earned from an equity mutual fund taxes, capital gains, income etc, must be paid.

What about flexibility?
A structured settlement annuity payment amount and schedule may not be altered at any time. Conversely, money can be moved in and out of mutual funds. However, taxes, sales loads etc may be applicable with each transaction.

Michael DeGeorge has done extensive research on structured settlements and shares a wealth of information on his website http://structsettle.gitgoingnow.com. Download your free Structured Settlement Annuity information today from http://structsettle.gitgoingnow.com.

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Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Compare An Annuity Rate - Foolproof Method

You should never buy insurance without first taking the trouble to compare annuity rate offers from several different companies. This will definitely prevent you from running the risk of accidentally buying high-cost insurance.

Millions of people needlessly pay unnecessarily high interest rates because they were too lazy to try to compare annuity rate offers. For instance many people don't realize that a variable annuity actually has higher fees and sometimes-higher interest rates then a fixed rate annuity.

Just to remind you of the differences between types of annuities, a fixed annuity pays you a guaranteed rate of interest and a variable annuity helps you invest in a portfolio of mutual fund type accounts. There is also a third type of annuity called an equity-indexed annuity. It is like a mating of the two types and offers a minimum rate of interest as well as the opportunity to invest your money in a portfolio as well. Equity indexed annuities are the hardest plans to compare simply because they are complex and marketed as being risk-free when in fact the opposite is often true!

Another unfortunate yet common consequence of neglecting to compare annuity rate offers is settling for the first deal that comes your way. Many people do this just to get the whole tedious job of comparing annuity rate offers over with. This could be a big mistake, especially if you don't read the fine print. For one thing you might end up paying really high fees should you decide to withdraw your money one day.

Another problem is that you are often stuck in the deal that you chose in the first place as there could be very high penalties for withdrawing your money early. This makes it almost impossible to get ahead financially even if you did have a better annuity rate offered from another company.

Tiffany Walker has finally revealed her annuity secrets online. Read the latest by clicking here: Buyer of structured annuity settlement.

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Thursday, December 27, 2007

Finding a Buyer of a Structured Annuity Settlement

If you receive a big insurance settlement (such as a personal injury settlement) or win the lottery then it might be a good idea to find a buyer of structured annuity settlement. An annuity settlement means that even though you have won a big jackpot or been awarded a huge sum of cash that you will only see a small sum of it that is sent to you by check once a year. This is where a buyer of a structured annuity settlement can come in handy especially if you want to take advantage of all of your winnings at once.

A buyer of structured annuity settlement winnings will offer you a big lumps sum payment so that you don't have to wait to be paid over a period of several years or even decades. In a way you could perceive this type of annuity as a kind of cash advance for the winnings you would have received in the future.

Keep in mind that doing a deal with a buyer of a structured annuity settlement is not necessarily that profitable. They in actuality keep the majority of your winnings. For one thing the buyer will be receiving all of the interest on the money as it is collected for many years. You on the other hand may be tempted to splurge all of your winnings or insurance money at once.

Still opting for a structured annuity settlement is a good idea for individuals who need a huge lump sum of cash to take care of immediate physical needs which is often the case with people receiving large insurance settlements as the result of personal injury or medical abuse.

Tiffany Walker has finally revealed her annuity secrets online. Read the latest by clicking here: Buyer of structured annuity settlements.

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Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Private Annuity Trust vs. 1031 Exchange- When a PAT Makes Sense (Part II)

In the last article, I pointed out when, as a real estate investor, doing a 1031 Exchange on the sale of a Real Estate Property may not be your best option.

So, let's assume you do want or need to sell a real estate investment, don't want to do an exchange, and don't want to pay a huge lump sum capital gains tax payment of 15-40% on your gains. Now is the time to see how a Private Annuity Trust can save you money.

It's important to know that you don't avoid paying your capital gains tax obligation, you just get to defer all payment for a while if you're under 70 years old, or you at least get to spread out the obligation over many years. The total of years can be your lifetime or a fixed number of years determined by you when you set up the trust.

So, how does that help you? Well, if someone were to offer you a 0% interest loan on let's say $300,000.00 for the next 30 years, and you only had to make minimum payments, would you jump at the chance? Most people sure would. Think of how you could invest that 300K so that you could enjoy the benefit of the interest it accrued. This is effectively what a Private Annuity Trust does for you. It allows you to keep most of your gains working to your advantage, while paying back the money owed to the IRS over a long period of time.

This also holds for the depreciation recapture if you owned your property for a long period of time and depreciated it according to a schedule to realize annual tax advantages of owning investment real estate.

If you do not put a tax strategy in place and sell outright, not only do you owe capital gains tax, but you also owe depreciation recapture, which can be another 25-35% of your total depreciation taken over the ownership cycle of your investment.

And, you will avoid the possibility of the dreaded Alternative Minimum Tax trap. This is something else that may catch you by surprise when you least expect it triggered by your outright sale of property. This could mean having other legitimate tax deductions disqualified and a higher tax payment owed by you.

As you can see, it's definitely worth it to consult with an expert in Capital Gains Tax saving strategies before you make the decision to sell your real property.

The PAT can also work with the sale of a second home, vacation home, or even your primary residence. With these assets, a 1031 exchange is not an option.


Paula Straub is a Investment Advisor Representative and Insurance Agent in Southern California. She facilitates Capital Gains Tax Saving Strategies for clients in all 50 States by working closely with Nationally recognized companies. Paula is an educator, author and professional speaker. You can learn more about Paula at her website http://www.Paula-Straub-Capital-Gains-Tax-Site.com or contact her directly at (760)917-0858

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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

The Variable Annuity versus The Mutual Fund

Get ready for the battle of the new millennium, the variable annuity versus the mutual fund. Over the past few years, the variable annuity has come under extreme attack, as an investment vehicle for retirement because of its expenses and taxes laws regarding withdraws. Actually, many articles have compared the features of the fixed annuity to a mutual fund, but unfortunately; that is like comparing a wagon to a jet ski. On the other hand, the variable annuity experiences market risk and so does your mutual fund; therefore, this provides us with a fairer comparison.

The variable annuity takes a lot of criticism, since individuals pay ordinary income taxes on withdrawn earnings. Also, the variable annuity is subject to stringent tax rules such as early withdraw penalties before age 59 1/2 with a few exceptions; even if the plan is classified as a non-qualified account. Mutual fund taxes are based on the fund manager's classification of the dividend. If the gain is considered a short-term capital gain in the mutual fund, this amount will also be taxed as ordinary income.

There has been some discussion over the high expenses associated with the variable annuity. Most variable annuity plans average a "mortality and expense" charge of about 1.2% a year and each separate account you choose may add another .8 % to .9% a year plus administrative costs. Mutual funds also have fees. Some funds require you to pay a sales charge when you purchase it, while others require you take a number of years to pay off its sales charge or are considered to be no-load mutual funds. Regardless of the mutual fund you choose, you will have to pay internal fees which may include management and those pesky 12(b)1 fees. The average yearly mutual fund fees generally run .75 to 1.3%, depending on the fund. By now you are wondering why anyone would use a variable annuity for retirement planning? Actually, that is for you to decide not me. F.Y.I., those investment specialist crying about an annuities' surrender charges should never sell B-share mutual funds, because there is not much difference.

The variable annuity has one defensive stand left? Let us say two people invested $20,000 in a variable annuity and the other in XYZ Mutual Fund. Both of these people die before spending a dime of their retirement accounts. At the time of death, each person had the same asset allocation model and $14,000 in their account. Whose beneficiary will get the most money? If your variable annuity has a death benefit that guarantees your original investment minus withdraws, you would have done better with the annuity. However, there are many other scenarios to consider, and the tax rules regarding non-qualified annuities and surrender charges may not allow easy access to your money before age 59 1/2. You decide which is a better retirement investment for you. The most important thing you can do is something, instead of nothing at all.

Disclaimer: The information in this article should be construed to be insurance advice. Always consult a financial or insurance professional or tax accountant to determine what coverage is right for you.


Mr. Jason Cunningham is the lead writer for http://www.financial-shopper-network.com and http://financialshoppernetwork.blogspot.com.

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Monday, December 3, 2007

An annuity Based Pension might just be the answer.


Of all types of income generating investments, annuities are some of the most controversial. There is a body of opinion that says they are a complete waste of time and you would do much better if you were to place the capital sum on the stockmarket or invest in property. But then again the stock market has been known to crash and property has frequently been known to decrease in real value, so if security is high on your list of priorities maybe annuities are worth a thought after all.

Annuities are popular as vehicles for pensions, perhaps mainly because they can be very tax efficient. If money is wrapped up in this investment it takes a tax holiday until such time as the premiums become due and payments are made. As this is likely to happen after retirement the tax liability falls dramatically.

There are two types of annuity. The former is deferred, which means payments are made, usually on a monthly basis for a number of years. This is a good way for the younger person to acquire an income later in life. The other variety is the fixed version. In this package, the purchaser pays a large capital sum usually to an insurance company and payments begin soon afterwards.

The big enemy of annuities is inflation. At the outset the agreed sum to be paid out might seem generous, but inflation can erode the value of the venture in a very alarming fashion.

On the other hand a fixed payment annuity based pension provides an excellent budgeting tool. You will know each month how much money you will receive and thus in much the same way as a salary, be able to cut your cloth accordingly. This allows for more efficient financial planning.

When it come to tax, there can be penalties if the annuity is cashed in before the "owner" reaches sixty years of age and this could be a disincentive for those folks who plan early retirement or find themselves made redundant before reaching the official age of retirement. However, as I said before there are some distinct tax advantages, particularly for those individuals in the higher tax brackets. Deferred Annuities are in effect a compulsory savings plan. In those years of high tax liability it would make a lot of sense to save as much as possible because these savings are then tax exempt. Tax is only due when income is received from the plan. That means you start drawing your annuity after you have stopped earning a high salary. It's very neat because as you have decreased earning your tax liability will drop to a lower level than previously. This all means you have allowed the IRS to partly finance those golden days of retirement. Now that begins to appeal does it not?

Interested in this subject? Try this link for more of the same

www.annuitiesforlife.com

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