Now that the Powerball winner has come forward to claim her prize of $758 million (before taxes), you can’t turn on the television or radio without hearing the word “annuity.” The winner of the lottery had a very important choice to make: to take an after-tax lump sum or pay the taxes and receive income for life. This got me thinking about the number of people who don’t understand exactly what an annuity is and how it can be beneficial when used in the following ..read more

I’m amazed at the number of people who understand so little about annuities. For 25 years, I have quizzed prospects and clients of their knowledge and perceptions of annuities. Some people claim, “Annuities are evil and should be banned,” while others have named their firstborn after these popular products. Life insurance is designed to protect a client’s financial dependents in the event of said client’s premature death, thus helping to protect loved ones from financial loss. Annuities are the upside-down version of life insurance and ..read more

As we approach the end of 2017, the stock market has been achieving all-time highs. This is very interesting since some people were calling for the stock market to crash this past year due to a number of factors. Of course, this crash did not happen. This has left many retirees and people approaching retirement with some important questions: 1. Is now the time to take some of my money out of the stock market? 2. Should I invest (risk) more money? 3. Should I ..read more

Now that the Powerball winner has come forward to claim her prize of $758 million (before taxes), you can’t turn on the television or radio without hearing the word “annuity.” The winner of the lottery had a very important choice to make: to take an after-tax lump sum or pay the taxes and receive income for life. This got me thinking about the number of people who don’t understand exactly what an annuity is and how it can be beneficial when used in the following ..read more

I’m amazed at the number of people who understand so little about annuities. For 25 years, I have quizzed prospects and clients of their knowledge and perceptions of annuities. Some people claim, “Annuities are evil and should be banned,” while others have named their firstborn after these popular products. Life insurance is designed to protect a client’s financial dependents in the event of said client’s premature death, thus helping to protect loved ones from financial loss. Annuities are the upside-down version of life insurance and ..read more

As we approach the end of 2017, the stock market has been achieving all-time highs. This is very interesting since some people were calling for the stock market to crash this past year due to a number of factors. Of course, this crash did not happen. This has left many retirees and people approaching retirement with some important questions: 1. Is now the time to take some of my money out of the stock market? 2. Should I invest (risk) more money? 3. Should I ..read more

Annuities can offer a number of attractive features for people who are currently working, approaching retirement, or already retired. Each year, Americans purchase billions of dollars of new annuities; they can be a big part of a solid retirement plan. People choose to add an annuity to their investment portfolio for several reasons, including: 1. Potential upside growth of their money. 2. Lifetime income, either immediately or in the future. 3. Tax-deferred growth.   There are many additional benefits that annuities can offer when structured ..read more

At Vivid Financial Group, we focus on the cash flow, because that’s what many retirees live on: monthly cash flow, not growth. Since 1990, I have worked with families to help them retire. The No. 1 question the retiree needs to be answered is how much income they can generate safely and reliably every month. Unfortunately, growth gets all the headlines, but unless that growth gets locked in, many folks will give it all back during a downturn and never get a chance to spend it. When you ..read more

“Stocks take the stairs up and the elevator down.” The volatility and risks that the stock market can bring is no secret. A number of different things can trigger a rapidly declining stock market, from negative economic news and political turmoil to world events and misinformation. Market risk may not mean as much to someone younger and regularly contributing to their retirement account. A declining stock market can even be an opportunity to contribute more money at lower stock prices. However, as someone nears retirement ..read more

Fixed rate annuity purchases (which includes fixed indexed annuities) could potentially increase by as much as 35% over the next five years, and variable annuity purchases by 15%, according to the LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute (LIMRA SRI). Over the last few years, there have been over $200 billion annually in new annuity purchases. Over one million Americans own over $1 trillion in annuities. In light of these numbers, it would seem that both accumulation- and income-focused annuities will lead the way. The numbers speak for ..read more