Finding the right fixed annuity, equity indexed annuity, immediate annuity, variable annuity or if an annuity is even right for you can be a difficult process.  There are many areas that you want to consider: Estate Planning, Investment Planning, Income Planning, Tax Planning and overall Retirement Planning.  Looking at all of these things together can be a daunting task for insurance brokers as well as just series 7 qualified financial advisors/brokers.  The one designation/degree that trains advisors to see these areas in total is the CFP®  or CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM  .

At AnnuityRateShopper.com all advisors carry the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM  designation.  This means that they are armed with the knowledge to ask you the right questions in order to probe which Annuity (fixed annuity, equity indexed annuity, variable annuity or immediate annuity) may be right for you.  They are also held to the very high ethical standard of the CFP®  board of standards. For most people the annuity purchase is not their entire financial plan but one component of it.  The Annuity needs to compliment your other investments such as, Real Estate, CD’s, Mutual Funds, Stocks and Bonds.

At AnnuityRateShopper.com we will help you to find which annuity is right for you, as well as tell you if an annuity is not right for you.  If you do purchase an annuity through us you can rest assured that we work with great companies and have the most competitive rates available.  AnnuityRateShopper.com will be your one-stop-shop for all your annuity needs.

It used to be the great thing about working for a company for so many years was that when you retired you were given a handshake, a gold watch and a pension plan.  At least that’s how it used to be.  Now a day you are lucky to get a gold watch when you retire.  That is why immediate annuities have become so popular over the last 10 years is because they help plan against the biggest risk we face as retirees; longevity.  Longevity risk is the risk that we will outlive our money during retirement; and with so many people living into their 90’s and even their 100’s these days outliving your investment dollars is becoming a reality. 
Let’s look at how an immediate annuity works.  1st you call Annuity Rate Shopper at  888-515-7152  to get a personalized quote.  The friendly staff of ARS will give you a personalized annuity quote from a top rated insurance company like; American National, Genworth, Hartford, MefLife, Old Mutual, United of Omaha just to name a few.  All quotes are good for generally two weeks and begin making monthly payouts 30 days after receipt of the funds and last for life. 

For example:  If you were to get a quote for an immediate annuity that said if you deposit $500,000 they will guarantee you $4,000 per month guaranteed for the rest of your life.  The beautiful thing about an immediate annuity is all of the risk associated with outliving your investment dollars is taken away and put on the shoulders of the insurance company.  If you would like to get your immediate annuity quote and learn how to create a personalized pension plan give us a call at  888-515-7152  or email us at ryan@annuityrateshopper.com.

Immediate Annuities can be a great way to create a personalized pension for yourself in retirement . As a Fincial Advisor I assist clients everyday in navigating the road to retirement.  The biggest challenge that individuals face is the risk of longevity (you may live too long).  That is why the pension plans of the last 60 years were so nice, people had a stream of income they never had to worry about outliving.  In addition to company sponsored pension plans social security was another source of guaranteed income.  Over the years however the sources of guaranteed income from a company are becoming more and more rare.  Instead of retirring with a lifetime of income most retirees are left with a lump sum of money, typically from a 401(k) that they need to make last the rest of their lives.  Given market volatility and how long we are living these days that can be no easy task. 

That is why immediate annuities have become so popular over the years is because of their functionality.  The typical immediate annuity allows an investor to deposit a lump sum with an insurance company (say $200,000) and in exchange they receive a lifetime of income immediately (say $15,000 per year) that they never have to worry about outliving.  One of the nicest features of an immediate annuity is the ability to customize it anyway you see fit. 

 For example if you want a higher payout for your money you could choose a single life immediate annuity.  In this case the insurance company would pay you a lifetime of income as long as you are alive.  The risk you bear is that if you die after only a couple of years the insurance company is done paying after only paying out for your life.  Consequently if you live for a really long time the insurance company is obligated to pay you out for the entire time.  Many immediate annuities that are offered by insurance companies offer a period certain whereby you could purchase an single life annuity with a 10 year period certain.  In this case you are buying protection that if you die within the first 10 years the insurance company is still going to make your monthly payments to your named beneficiary up to 10 years from your first payment.  These period certain options are available on most immediate annuties and can come in 5, 10 15, and 20 year period certain.  If you are interested as to how an immediate annuity may play a role in your retirement picture send us an email at ryan@annuityrateshopper.com or call us at 888-515-7152.

While economist’s debate whether U.S. and global economies are already in what all agree will be a slow recovery, investors have seized on sprinklings of positive news to drive financial markets upward. With the end of July in sight, the most-quoted indices are all at their 2009 highs.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (an unmanaged index of 30 widely held stocks) closed at 9,093.24 Friday, up 3.6% from its 2008 close and up 38.9% from its March 9 low. The NASDAQ (an unmanaged index of common stocks listed on the NASDAQ National Stock Market) closed at 1,965.96, a gain of 24.7% from its 2008 close and up a phenomenal 55% since its March low. In the meantime, the S&P 500 (an unmanaged index of 500 widely held stocks) finished the day at 979.26, up 8.4% since the beginning of the year and 44.7% ahead of its March low.

Investors rejoining the market seem to have taken the good news to heart. First, several banks and large companies such as Intel Corp., Caterpillar Inc. and Apple Inc. reported impressive quarterly profits that outpaced expectations. Then came news that existing-home sales in June rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.89 million, with sales up in all four regions of the country. The share of foreclosures on the market has shrunk to about one-third of available homes, down from nearly 50% earlier in the year. There are still 3.8 million homes for sale, a 9.4-month supply at today’s sales pace – but that’s edging closer to the seven-month supply at which point the market should begin to stabilize, according to the National Association of Realtors. For three straight months, prices have risen in about half of the nation’s 55 major metropolitan areas.

The markets largely passed over negative news. Mortgage rates have risen, with a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaging 5.2%, somewhat above the record low of 4.78% earlier in the year. Jobless claims rose too, although experts claim the trend is stabilizing, and Friday’s consumer sentiment reading showed a dip in July, the University of Michigan and Reuters reported, disappointing those who had expected a slight lift.

Noting that the markets tend to move with the news, Raymond James Chief Economist Scott Brown suggests investors pay attention to the details of the economic story occurring beneath the headlines. He cautions that even if a recovery is under way, it will be slow, running under a caution flag for some time to come.

If you would like to discuss investment opportunities available in today’s marketplace, I’ll be happy to discuss them with you. If you have general questions about the markets or want to discuss portfolio adjustments that may be justified as 2009 proceeds, please don’t hesitate to call us at 888-515-7152.  With today’s given environement it may be a great time to protect some of these recent gains with a purchae of an annuity.

I know that Annuities have been the evil step child of the investment world for some time now.  At Annuity Rate Shopper we have been practicing the honest sale of insurance products for over 10 years and still, when people think about annuities they think “bad investments”.  The truth is annuities, whether they are fixed rate annuities, equity indexed annuities, immediate annuites or variable annuities they all serve a purpose.

Yesterday (July 22, 2009 there was an article in the Wall Street Journal titled “Long Derided, This Investment Now Looks Wise. “,the premise of the article is that investors should take a second look at these annuity products and how they can help people accomplish their goals.