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Index Annuities For Rock Solid Retirement, by Doug West
... in Retirement Planning (submitted 2009-11-15)
I'll never forget the first annuity I wrote as a young agent working
for my father. My client, a teacher, signed up to contribute well
over $900 a month into his 403(b) account.
I really didn't know at that point that most of the teachers were
contributing a lot less into their annuities. In my green mind this
was something that I would be doing many times over in the upcoming
years. However, it was the largest monthly contribution I would ever
write!
As I drove from Oklahoma City to my dad's Tulsa office with that
first sale in-hand (*which I had mailed in earlier), and a few other
small ones, I couldn't wait to see the proud look on my father's
face.
The conference room of the high-rise office was filled with about 30
agents that day. I had no idea my father employed this many agents!
It suddenly dawned on me how he could afford such a luxury office!
As he finally walked into the room to start the meeting, I wondered
if he even knew I was there.
After the usual sales rah-rah, dad congratulated one of the agents
for writing over $10,000 in annualized premium the previous week. I
thought "Hey, I wrote over $14,000 - and it was my first week!".
Even though I never got the recognition for being the sales champ of
the office in my first week in the annuity business, I never did
forget my first client, and his wise choice to max out his
contributions.
What would motivate a person to do that? Well, my client was just a
few years from retirement age. Though he had previously contributed
to the 403(b) plan, he was now maxing it out for future benefits. A
concept that so many Americans have yet to figure out. With his
teacher's pension, and his annuity income, this fellow could live
well for the rest of his life! Even though he had worked most of his
life in a profession that most would agree pays too little. I would
be safe to say that come retirement time, my first client was better
off than many others who had earned a LOT more income.
So what is an annuity, and what is an indexed annuity? And, more
importantly, how can you benefit?
An annuity is actually the opposite of life insurance. In a life
policy, you are insuring against the possibility of dying too young.
With an annuity, you are buying insurance against living too long,
and running out of income. An annuity can guarantee you a check for
the rest of your life!
Many will say to keep your investments apart from your insurance,
and for the most part I would agree with that. However, an annuity
is an exception to the rule in my book. Now with indexed annuities,
this vehicle can actually be a very wise investment choice.
An index annuity is just what the name implies. It is indexed to
something. Normally the stock market. In other words it is tied to
an index like the S&P 500. If the index goes up, you get higher
earnings. If the market tanks, the annuity (*at least the good ones)
goes back to a guaranteed interest vehicle! So if the market is
doing really well, so is your annuity. If the market is not so hot,
your annuity will still be growing (*normally at a rate better than
most CDs are paying at that time).
There are some disadvantages to an annuity, but not if you use it as
it was intended. You don't want to put money into an annuity that
you might need next week, or next year for that matter. BUT, if you
have other investments and cash that you can get your hands on, an
annuity can be your ace in the hole in case everything else tanks.
Most annuities are backed by your state's insurance guarantee fund.
So, even if the company goes out of business, you should be able to
get your money. Check to see what is available in your state. If
they don't have a guarantee fund. Take a trip and buy yours in a
state that does!
There are even some off shore annuities that really shine, but
investing in those is more complex than buying one here in the
states.
I no longer write annuities, as I have moved on to trade and invest
for a living. But, I have never forgotten the lesson I learned from
my first annuity client!
About the Author
Doug West has worked in Financial Planning and Investment training
for over 20 years. He has been interviewed by many publications and
radio shows. Get his Free Audio Report on how to secure your
financial future.
Also, take time to subscribe to his
Free Newsletter.
Get your
Free Report Here and discover
Rock Solid income strategies, including how you may be able to
increase your social security check by 50%.
Learn the art of simple
Mini-Dow Index Trading.
 Clare
& Micah...
Micah & Clare.
(310) 593.1165
Answers@EasyDayTradeSystem.com
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