Annuity Straight Talk

By Bryan AndersonBusiness News Education Investing Business News

Annuity Straight Talk episodes

September 02, 2021Best Growth Fixed Indexed Annuity: Midland National RetireVantage 10
Bryan Anderson, founder of Annuity Straight Talk, speaks with Ashok Ramji, a financial consultant with TOP Planning LLC, an independent asset protection and retirement income planning firm serving retirees and pre-retirees alike. In this episode, they share their thoughts on Midland National's RetireVantage 10 contract.
When considering an annuity, you need to look at the protection factor, the growth potential, and what restrictions are in place. Bryan and Ashok present the upsides and downsides of this particular annuity, weighing in on additional benefit riders, the advantage of having diverse strategies, and the guaranteed values for accumulation/death benefit.
They then discuss how the RetireVantage 10 contract can be used for income planning or funding life insurance. After looking at the applications of this annuity, they look into its design. Bryan and Ashok also talk about carriers and end the show with the benefits of working with Annuity Straight Talk.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[09:30] Who can use this annuity
[10:20] The pros and cons of additional benefit riders
[12:00] The 4 different index options in the contract
[18:15] On the surrender charge schedule and penalty-free withdrawals
[21:22] An overview of Bryan’s allocation for a hypothetical case
[28:22] On an automatic benefits rider that allows for early exit, market value adjustments, and the versatility of the RetireVantage 10 annuity
[35:02] On account value true-up, enhanced participation rates, and maximum performance
[42:10] What Bryan and Ashok like about Midland National and RetireVantage 10
Key quotes:
“How do you use an annuity for accumulation purposes?” ~Ashok
“Index annuities allow you to leverage low interest rates to get an acceptable rate of return on safe money.” ~Bryan
“It's nice to look at the upside and the big flashy numbers, but it's very important to start with a conservative assumption.” ~Bryan
“We're not always right, but we're going to try to [have] your best interest in mind.” ~Bryan
“Sometimes the participation rate in a fixed index annuity can change year-to-year.” ~Ashok
Links/Resources:
Midland National
Call Annuity Straight Talk at 800-438-5121 or schedule a call at AnnuityStraightTalk.com
47 min
August 26, 2021Case Study Design: Guaranteed Income But Hold The Market Volatility
Bryan Anderson, founder of Annuity Straight Talk, speaks with Ashok Ramji, a financial consultant with TOP Planning LLC, an independent asset protection and retirement income planning firm serving retirees and pre-retirees alike. In this episode, our hosts weigh in on a case study involving fixed deferred annuities with a guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit (GWLB).
Ashok opens the show with a short introduction about Mary who is a client of his. She has income from a bunch of sources, but she wanted to get away from market volatility and replace her bond funds with another income-producing asset. He and Brian talk a bit about bond funds before diving into the top 4 contracts with GWLBs in the state of Washington.
They discuss how much cumulative income Mary could have after 10 years, pointing out the pros and cons of contracts with GWLB rider fees compared to those with none. Brian and Ashok also bring up other things for people to consider like residual value and how much control you want to have over the asset.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[02:35] An overview of Mary’s case
[06:46] A comparison of the 4 fixed deferred annuities with the highest payouts
[09:42] What Mary’s cumulative income would have looked like after 10 years
[11:35] Contracts that offer higher payouts have fees that go along with it
[12:07] The advantages of the Midland contract (which has a slightly lower payout)
[14:55] About residual value and the option for increasing annuity income
[17:00] On AST’s 360 approach
[18:45] What listeners can expect from the next episodes
Key quotes:
“You are getting the benefit of seeing all the options on the table.” ~Ashok
“The [contract] without fees is going to be quite a bit higher than anything else.” ~Bryan
“The highest annuity payout is not always the one that people choose. And some people take a lower payout because they were not presented with a better option, and some people choose it for a specific reason.” ~Bryan
Call Annuity Straight Talk at 800-438-5121 or schedule a call at AnnuityStraightTalk.com
23 min
August 26, 2021 Case Study Design: Guaranteed Income But Hold The Market Volatility
Bryan Anderson, founder of Annuity Straight Talk, speaks with Ashok Ramji, a financial consultant with TOP Planning LLC, an independent asset protection and retirement income planning firm serving retirees and pre-retirees alike. In this episode, our hosts weigh in on a case study involving fixed deferred annuities with a guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit (GWLB).
Ashok opens the show with a short introduction about Mary who is a client of his. She has income from a bunch of sources, but she wanted to get away from market volatility and replace her bond funds with another income-producing asset. He and Brian talk a bit about bond funds before diving into the top 4 contracts with GWLBs in the state of Washington.
They discuss how much cumulative income Mary could have after 10 years, pointing out the pros and cons of contracts with GWLB rider fees compared to those with none. Brian and Ashok also bring up other things for people to consider like residual value and how much control you want to have over the asset.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[02:35] An overview of Mary’s case
[06:46] A comparison of the 4 fixed deferred annuities with the highest payouts
[09:42] What Mary’s cumulative income would have looked like after 10 years
[11:35] Contracts that offer higher payouts have fees that go along with it
[12:07] The advantages of the Midland contract (which has a slightly lower payout)
[14:55] About residual value and the option for increasing annuity income
[17:00] On AST’s 360 approach
[18:45] What listeners can expect from the next episodes
Key quotes:
“You are getting the benefit of seeing all the options on the table.” ~Ashok
“The [contract] without fees is going to be quite a bit higher than anything else.” ~Bryan
“The highest annuity payout is not always the one that people choose. And some people take a lower payout because they were not presented with a better option, and some people choose it for a specific reason.” ~Bryan
Call Annuity Straight Talk at 800-438-5121 or schedule a call at AnnuityStraightTalk.com
23 min
August 26, 2021 Case Study Design: Guaranteed Income But Hold The Market Volatility
Bryan Anderson, founder of Annuity Straight Talk, speaks with Ashok Ramji, a financial consultant with TOP Planning LLC, an independent asset protection and retirement income planning firm serving retirees and pre-retirees alike. In this episode, our hosts weigh in on a case study involving fixed deferred annuities with a guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit (GWLB).
Ashok opens the show with a short introduction about Mary who is a client of his. She has income from a bunch of sources, but she wanted to get away from market volatility and replace her bond funds with another income-producing asset. He and Brian talk a bit about bond funds before diving into the top 4 contracts with GWLBs in the state of Washington.
They discuss how much cumulative income Mary could have after 10 years, pointing out the pros and cons of contracts with GWLB rider fees compared to those with none. Brian and Ashok also bring up other things for people to consider like residual value and how much control you want to have over the asset.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[02:35] An overview of Mary’s case
[06:46] A comparison of the 4 fixed deferred annuities with the highest payouts
[09:42] What Mary’s cumulative income would have looked like after 10 years
[11:35] Contracts that offer higher payouts have fees that go along with it
[12:07] The advantages of the Midland contract (which has a slightly lower payout)
[14:55] About residual value and the option for increasing annuity income
[17:00] On AST’s 360 approach
[18:45] What listeners can expect from the next episodes
Key quotes:
“You are getting the benefit of seeing all the options on the table.” ~Ashok
“The [contract] without fees is going to be quite a bit higher than anything else.” ~Bryan
“The highest annuity payout is not always the one that people choose. And some people take a lower payout because they were not presented with a better option, and some people choose it for a specific reason.” ~Bryan
Call Annuity Straight Talk at 800-438-5121 or schedule a call at AnnuityStraightTalk.com
23 min
August 26, 2021 Case Study Design: Guaranteed Income But Hold The Market Volatility
Bryan Anderson, founder of Annuity Straight Talk, speaks with Ashok Ramji, a financial consultant with TOP Planning LLC, an independent asset protection and retirement income planning firm serving retirees and pre-retirees alike. In this episode, our hosts weigh in on a case study involving fixed deferred annuities with a guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit (GWLB).
Ashok opens the show with a short introduction about Mary who is a client of his. She has income from a bunch of sources, but she wanted to get away from market volatility and replace her bond funds with another income-producing asset. He and Brian talk a bit about bond funds before diving into the top 4 contracts with GWLBs in the state of Washington.
They discuss how much cumulative income Mary could have after 10 years, pointing out the pros and cons of contracts with GWLB rider fees compared to those with none. Brian and Ashok also bring up other things for people to consider like residual value and how much control you want to have over the asset.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[02:35] An overview of Mary’s case
[06:46] A comparison of the 4 fixed deferred annuities with the highest payouts
[09:42] What Mary’s cumulative income would have looked like after 10 years
[11:35] Contracts that offer higher payouts have fees that go along with it
[12:07] The advantages of the Midland contract (which has a slightly lower payout)
[14:55] About residual value and the option for increasing annuity income
[17:00] On AST’s 360 approach
[18:45] What listeners can expect from the next episodes
Key quotes:
“You are getting the benefit of seeing all the options on the table.” ~Ashok
“The [contract] without fees is going to be quite a bit higher than anything else.” ~Bryan
“The highest annuity payout is not always the one that people choose. And some people take a lower payout because they were not presented with a better option, and some people choose it for a specific reason.” ~Bryan
Call Annuity Straight Talk at 800-438-5121 or schedule a call at AnnuityStraightTalk.com
23 min
August 26, 2021 Case Study Design: Guaranteed Income But Hold The Market Volatility
Bryan Anderson, founder of Annuity Straight Talk, speaks with Ashok Ramji, a financial consultant with TOP Planning LLC, an independent asset protection and retirement income planning firm serving retirees and pre-retirees alike. In this episode, our hosts weigh in on a case study involving fixed deferred annuities with a guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit (GWLB).
Ashok opens the show with a short introduction about Mary who is a client of his. She has income from a bunch of sources, but she wanted to get away from market volatility and replace her bond funds with another income-producing asset. He and Brian talk a bit about bond funds before diving into the top 4 contracts with GWLBs in the state of Washington.
They discuss how much cumulative income Mary could have after 10 years, pointing out the pros and cons of contracts with GWLB rider fees compared to those with none. Brian and Ashok also bring up other things for people to consider like residual value and how much control you want to have over the asset.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[02:35] An overview of Mary’s case
[06:46] A comparison of the 4 fixed deferred annuities with the highest payouts
[09:42] What Mary’s cumulative income would have looked like after 10 years
[11:35] Contracts that offer higher payouts have fees that go along with it
[12:07] The advantages of the Midland contract (which has a slightly lower payout)
[14:55] About residual value and the option for increasing annuity income
[17:00] On AST’s 360 approach
[18:45] What listeners can expect from the next episodes
Key quotes:
“You are getting the benefit of seeing all the options on the table.” ~Ashok
“The [contract] without fees is going to be quite a bit higher than anything else.” ~Bryan
“The highest annuity payout is not always the one that people choose. And some people take a lower payout because they were not presented with a better option, and some people choose it for a specific reason.” ~Bryan
Call Annuity Straight Talk at 800-438-5121 or schedule a call at AnnuityStraightTalk.com
23 min
August 12, 2021Income Annuities: Nationwide Offers a Compelling Income Opportunity
Bryan Anderson, founder of Annuity Straight Talk, speaks with Ashok Ramji, a financial consultant with TOP Planning LLC, an independent asset protection and retirement income planning firm serving retirees and pre-retirees alike. In this episode, they weigh in on Nationwide’s Peak 10 fixed indexed annuity.
Bryan and Ashok start by sharing why they are including product reviews in the podcast. They highlight 2 things that help the Peak 10 contract stand out, following it up with a disclaimer about trade-offs. They use an illustration to show how the product would work for a single individual.
Bryan and Ashok then explain how powerful the product is in a joint life scenario, bringing up some possible downsides as well in terms of fees and residual values. Bryan also looks back on a newsletter that he wrote about the product.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[01:55] Annuity contracts issued are based on where they were signed, not necessarily where the client lives
[04:55] On the “set and forget” strategy
[08:15] About Nationwide and their Peak 10 fixed indexed annuity
[09:27] There’s a 10% bonus and you can take paychecks as soon as you put the money in
[12:08] How the money can grow inside an account with a high-income payout
[13:40] On the Peak 10’s lifetime income withdrawal rate for single and joint payouts
[17:52] The trade-offs in order to make the benefits happen
[19:09] How the fee for the guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit is calculated
[20:48] What Bryan doesn’t like about the illustration
[23:50] How Nationwide’s Peak 10 compares to other products
Key quotes:
“What is most important for you?” ~Ashok
“It’s nice to see money sitting there, but if you’re in it for lifetime income, then that’s just kind of a side benefit; but really focus on the maximum income.” ~Bryan
“It’s a great product for immediate income, near-term income...” ~Bryan
“Our recommendations are going to be rooted in what you are going to do and so, therefore, you might see different recommendations.“ ~Ashok
Links/Resources:
Nationwide
Call Annuity Straight Talk at 800-438-5121 or schedule a call at AnnuityStraightTalk.com
28 min
July 15, 2021Annuity Straight Talk’s Flex Strategy
Bryan Anderson, founder of Annuity Straight Talk, speaks with Ashok Ramji, a financial consultant with TOP Planning LLC, an independent asset protection and retirement income planning firm serving retirees and pre-retirees alike. In this episode, our hosts introduce the AST FLEX Strategy, presenting it as an alternative to traditional annuities.
Bryan and Ashok start the podcast by enumerating the different benefits of the AST FLEX Strategy, drawing points from a newsletter that Bryan wrote back in April 2019. They both share stories about their clients to better explain certain concepts.
Bryan then uses a spreadsheet to illustrate how the AST FLEX Strategy works, aligning it with the 5 keys of retirement and stacking it up against volatilities in the stock market. Ashok also weighs in with his takeaways from that case study. Catch the stream on Youtube to see the breakdown of the numbers!

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[02:40] The pros and cons of guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit riders
[04:07] How Bryan came up with the AST FLEX Strategy
[07:48] There are no fees on the annuity
[11:25] Uncertainties are only short-term
[12:35] It has a flexible starting date
[15:10] About changing income needs
[18:28] The AST FLEX Strategy has a lower cost and eventually leads to greater wealth accumulation
[22:25] On deferred annuities and sequence-of-returns risks
[27:35] Bryan’s case study
Key quotes:
“People buy annuities to secure lifetime income because the market is unpredictable.” ~Bryan
“Why not have an annuity set aside for the years when the market loses value?” ~Bryan
“People look at annuities for safe accumulation...and if it’s not needed for income, have the lowest costs and the greatest possible upside.” ~Ashok
“Let’s have a diversity for products that are actually fitting into the FLEX Strategy.” ~Ashok
Call Annuity Straight Talk at 800-438-5121 or schedule a call at AnnuityStraightTalk.com
45 min
July 08, 2021Annuities: Income v. Accumulation?
Bryan Anderson, founder of Annuity Straight Talk, speaks with Ashok Ramji, a financial consultant with TOP Planning LLC, an independent asset protection and retirement income planning firm serving retirees and pre-retirees alike. Today, they share how annuities can serve other purposes besides income when you’re a retiree.

Bryan and Ashok begin by briefly recapping last week’s episode and explaining why they host the podcast. They talk about 63-year-old Mark who doesn’t necessarily need income (because he does real estate) but wants an annuity for extra cash flow. Bryan breaks down some of the numbers from this case.

They then present some options for people who have a hefty amount of money but are not exactly sure where to put it, highlighting the idea that income and accumulation can be done at the same time. Finally, they talk about what they have to offer potential clients.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[01:12] Why Bryan started Annuity Straight Talk
[02:18] The different applications for annuities
[05:19] About Mark who already has annuities but wants to buy another one for guaranteed lifetime income
[08:05] What happens when products no longer fit the client’s current situation
[10:35] On having a flex strategy
[15:21] On deferred annuities, fixed index annuities, and capped rates
[21:58] What if Mark bought a deferred annuity
[24:23] Periodically check your beneficiary designations
[25:49] The 3 types of entities that can hold your money
[31:08] Gen Xers are most likely to buy annuities

Key quotes:
“You also need a discretionary fund to draw money from for those extra expenses.” ~Bryan
“If you’re not spending money, it should be growing.” ~Bryan
“It’s better to have choices and realize every person’s situation is different.” ~Ashok

Resources:
Gen Xers are most likely to buy annuities

Call Annuity Straight Talk at 800-438-5121 or schedule a call at AnnuityStraightTalk.com
37 min
July 01, 2021Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefits
Bryan Anderson, founder of Annuity Straight Talk, speaks with Ashok Ramji, a financial consultant with TOP Planning LLC, an independent asset protection and retirement income planning firm serving retirees and pre-retirees alike. In this episode, our hosts put the spotlight on an annuity rider called the Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefit (GLWB).

Bryan and Ashok explain why it can be a wonderful planning tool if you want to annuitize certain assets for lifetime income. They introduce three levers that can get your income up to the desired amount but also caution you about the trade-offs.

Bryan and Ashok then talk about how some products affect spouses or partners, presenting the difference between single and joint payouts. They also throw in a brief history lesson on riders, ending the podcast with the pros and cons of GWLBs.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[02:56] How GLWB works
[05:07] Why some insurance companies can offer higher payouts
[08:00] On the roll-up rate
[10:38] On the payout rate
[14:34] How Bryan and Ashok add value to clients
[16:16] On calculating payouts for spouses or partners
[24:08] Why index annuities have a higher guaranteed payment compared to variable annuities
[25:05] Some of the advantages of GWLBs
[28:56] About dinner seminars
[32:11] Some of the disadvantages of GWLBs

Key quotes:
“It pays to wait, but then again, it comes down to what you can afford to wait to do and what your plans are.” ~Bryan
“You have to look at everything together and not just one part of the story.” ~Ashok
“We have to know everything about your situation.” ~Bryan

Call Annuity Straight Talk at 800-438-5121 or schedule a call at AnnuityStraightTalk.com
37 min

About Annuity Straight Talk

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Bryan Anderson started AnnuityStraightTalk.com in 2008. Since then, he has been cataloging annuity information, and doing research about different retirement strategies. His newsletters are typically…