Mom used to talk about knowing the difference between “a want” and “a need” when I was younger. As my sister and I would beg for one of those candy bars stacked beside the cash register, she would say “do you really NEED it or you just WANT one?” And, when money was tight, we learned quickly that we needed groceries and a roof over our head more than candy bars. Candy was a luxury item; food was a necessity. In retirement, income is a NEED. How you obtain that income and the amount you need is different for each person. Many retirees are comfortable managing their own portfolios and have ..read more

There’s no place like home… but when it comes to annuities, your Home State may not be the best place for annuities! The annuity you purchase in Texas most likely will not be the same as the similar one you buy in California – even if it is the same company and annuity by name. Does it matter? You bet, it does… Annuity policy requirements differ by state for various reasons. Oftentimes, the differences are due to…[continued below video] Video: Annuity Guys, Dick and Eric, discuss where you live impacts on your annuity selection, for better or worse. Guarantee ..read more

Most of us have a few regrets in life… but seriously – annuity regrets??? Perhaps we have gone too far as the Annuity Guys® in releasing the five most common annuity regrets expressed by folks we have spoken with, across the country… I’m losing money in my annuity and still paying high fees! Cashing my annuity in will hurt, it has a high surrender charge! Wish I had understood the annuity better that I was advised to buy! Laddering my annuities instead of just buying one large annuity could have been better! Why did I wait so long to get annuities? Watch this Annuity Guys® vid ..read more

Are You One of These Five Profiles who probably should NOT buy an annuity? Are you an Aggressive Investor with an Appetite for Risk? Do you believe the Stock Market is poised for a couple decades of steady growth? Are you age twenty to forty? Are you over age eighty? Do you believe that all financial institutions will fail soon and anarchy will prevail? [continued below video…] Video: Watch Annuity Guys, Dick & Eric, have fun profiling folks who shouldn’t buy annuities!  Guarantees, including optional benefits, are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuer, and ma ..read more

Have you ever made a trip to the grocery store where you picked up a few items, walked up to cashier only to realize seconds into the transaction that you don’t have your wallet or any way to pay for the items you picked up? If this has never happened to you, be thankful, because it is embarrassing. You suddenly feel like everyone is watching and judging you and there is nothing you can do other than apologize and get out of there as quickly as possible. Just knowing that not having money in an awkward situation like the grocery counter can cause such consternation. Can you imagine the de ..read more

Let me start with this basic truth as a Retirement Advisor & Annuity Advisor – THE ANNUITY GUYS ARE GUILTY – of believing annuities should be an important part of a well balanced retirement portfolio. We admit our bias in that we believe annuities are proven financial instruments that will provide safer, more secure growth and reliable lifetime income throughout retirement. However, finding a trustworthy licensed retirement financial planner with true annuity expertise to correctly balance your portfolio may not be as easy as one would think! Likewise beware, you would be hard pressed ..read more

If we only had a nickel for every phone call that came into the office which started out like this… “Hello, This is the Annuity Guys®. How can we help you?” “Hi, can you please tell me which annuity is best?” “Which of the two types are you referring to, variable or fixed?…  and what variations of those two types are you interested in?” “I just want the best one, maybe one of those fixed index annuities – the one that gives me the most income, most growth possible, and I don’t want to…[continued below video] Video: Annuity Guys®, Dick & Eric, discuss how ..read more

Which of these two statements about retirement income do you find more appealing? My retirement income is contractually **guaranteed to meet my income needs as long as I am alive. My retirement income has a growth potential with some possibility that I could run of out of money early. If you opt for statement one, you may have a predisposition toward the predictability provided by annuities for some portion of your assets. Conversely, if you prefer more of a risk/reward scenario based on potential and probability, you may have an inclination toward statement two which is typic ..read more

What would the perfect retirement financial vehicle look like if we could design it from the ground up? Would it allow for stock index growth without losses? How about secure lifetime income? We don’t proclaim MarketFree® Hybrid Annuities to be the best retirement option for everyone, however, they do provide for potential to capture a portion of a security indices’ growth without any market loss or risk and they typically include or make available various lifetime income **guarantee options. (continued below video) Video: Annuity Guys®, Dick and Eric breakdown popular ..read more

If you are asking this question rest assured you are in good company. Today’s retirement landscape is the result of companies dumping their pension plans in droves over the last twenty or so years! Most pensions were very similar to today’s commercially available immediate income annuities. Buy one and your income is guaranteed, no matter how long you live! Sounds simple and straight forward, right? Well, not so fast. There have been so many innovative changes in… [continued below video] Video: Watch as Annuity Guys Dick & Eric, discuss annuities for today’s retirees! Guarantees, includin ..read more