Fun With Annuities® - The Annuity Man Podcast

A big bonus can sound appealing—but does it mean a stronger lifetime income guarantee? This episode focuses on the two details Stan says matter most when comparing income riders: the age income starts and the payout rate.

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:

• Income riders and lifetime income

• Starting age and payout rates

• Upfront bonuses and marketing claims

• Comparing carriers and illustrations

• Contractual guarantees versus adjustable index rules

Key Takeaways:

• Compare income riders by the contractual lifetime income guarantee, not by bonus size or product branding.

• The age when income begins can materially affect the guarantee.

• The payout rate is a key comparison point, even though it may receive less attention than bonuses.

• Comparing multiple carriers can reveal differences in how they price clients in different age ranges.

• Separate the income rider's contractual guarantee from features of the underlying indexed annuity that the speaker says may be adjustable.

"Life insurance companies issue annuities. Annuities are policies. Policies are contracts." — Stan The Annuity Man

Connect with The Annuity Man:

Website: http://theannuityman.com/

Email: [email protected]

Book: Owner's Manuals: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/how-do-annuities-work

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCXKKxvVslbeGAlEc5sra2g

Get a Quote Today: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/annuity-calculator!

Planning to turn savings into lifetime income later? This episode compares three strategies and argues for evaluating them by the contractual guarantees they provide—not by projected returns or sales pitches.

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:

• The "PILL" purposes of annuities

• Questions to clarify income goals and timing

• Income riders and their contractual guarantees

• Deferred income annuities and QLACs

• MYGA-to-SPIA as a way to defer an income decision

Key Takeaways:

• Start by defining what the money should contractually do and when the guarantees should begin.

• For future lifetime income, compare an income rider, a deferred income annuity, and a MYGA-to-SPIA strategy.

• No single strategy is best for everyone; the right comparison depends on the goal and whether the income needs to be locked in now.

• Evaluate guarantees separately from an indexed annuity's non-guaranteed returns.

• Compare options and understand their trade-offs rather than being steered toward just one product.

"If you just look at the contractual guarantees, you're going to be fine." — Stan The Annuity Man

Connect with The Annuity Man:

Website: http://theannuityman.com/

Email: [email protected]

Book: Owner's Manuals: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/how-do-annuities-work

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCXKKxvVslbeGAlEc5sra2g

Get a Quote Today: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/annuity-calculator!

Market swings can threaten more than a portfolio—they can affect the retirement lifestyle you've worked toward. This episode makes the case for an income floor as a way to help retirees stay steady through both market volatility and life's changing stages.

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:

• Sequence-of-returns risk and guaranteed income

• "Sequence of lifestyle risk"

• Social Security, pensions, and MYGAs

• Market volatility and avoiding panic selling

• Go-go, slow-go, and no-go retirement phases

Key Takeaways:

• The episode argues that guaranteed income can help cover essential expenses while leaving investments less exposed to panic-driven decisions.

• "Sequence of lifestyle risk" describes the possibility that market downturns or life events could disrupt a retiree's plans.

• Retirement income planning can consider Social Security, pensions, and annuity products as parts of an income floor.

• An income floor may give retirees more confidence to remain prudent investors during market volatility.

• Retirement needs can change over time, so planning should account for active years as well as periods when more care may be needed.

"Sequence of returns risk can be solved by annuities… the income floor is in place, the guarantees are in place, the principal protections in place, so it doesn't disrupt the lifestyle that you've worked so hard for and earned and should enjoy in chapter two of your life." — Stan the Annuity Man

Connect with The Annuity Man:

Website: http://theannuityman.com/

Email: [email protected]

Book: Owner's Manuals: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/how-do-annuities-work

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCXKKxvVslbeGAlEc5sra2g

Get a Quote Today: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/annuity-calculator!

What does it mean to feel financially secure in retirement? Stan The Annuity Man argues that building a reliable income floor can help address the fear of outliving your money—and reduce reliance on market performance to cover essential expenses.

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:

• Income uncertainty and the fear of outliving your money

• Building an income floor with Social Security, pensions, and annuities

• The difference between portfolio gains and contractually guaranteed income

• Choosing an income product by goal and start date

• Planning for a spouse's income to continue if you pass away

Key Takeaways:

• Stan frames income uncertainty as a longevity concern: the possibility of outliving your savings.

• An income floor is intended to cover bills and support your lifestyle, regardless of market conditions.

• His central message: evaluate annuities for their contractual guarantees, not hoped-for returns.

• Start with two questions: What do you want the money to do? And when should the guarantees begin?

• Planning for a surviving spouse can help keep household income uninterrupted after one partner dies.

"Annuities are the only category that can provide lifetime income. That's going to pay for as long as you're breathing." — Stan The Annuity Man

Connect with The Annuity Man:

Website: http://theannuityman.com/

Email: [email protected]

Book: Owner's Manuals: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/how-do-annuities-work

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCXKKxvVslbeGAlEc5sra2g

Get a Quote Today: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/annuity-calculator!

What if you could get annuity questions answered around the clock—and compare quotes without handing over your personal details? Stan shares how Virtual Stanley and anonymous quoting are designed to give consumers more access and control.

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:

• Virtual Stanley and its content foundation

• Anonymous annuity quotes

• Online applications across carriers

• Contractual guarantees and the PIL framework

• Consumer-first technology in the annuity industry

Key Takeaways:

• Evaluate annuities for their contractual guarantees, not hypothetical market returns.

• Technology can make answers and quotes more accessible without requiring consumers to share contact details.

• An educational tool is most useful when it draws on substantial, authentic source material.

• Giving consumers time and choice can support a more informed buying experience.

• Improving a service means continuing to learn from users and refine what is offered.

"We don't sell hype; we sell contractual guarantees." — Stan The Annuity Man

Connect with The Annuity Man:

Website: http://theannuityman.com/

Email: [email protected]

Book: Owner's Manuals: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/how-do-annuities-work

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCXKKxvVslbeGAlEc5sra2g

Get a Quote Today: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/annuity-calculator!

Can an annuity truly keep up with inflation—or is that just a sales pitch? Stan challenges common claims about COLAs and indexed annuities, and explains his approach to covering a specific income shortfall when it arises.

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:

• Annuity COLAs and reduced starting payments

• Social Security's cost-of-living adjustment

• Indexed annuities and income riders

• Personal inflation and income gaps

• Reverse-engineering quotes for needed income

Key Takeaways:

• A lifetime-income increase through an annuity COLA comes with a lower initial payment.

• A rising index does not necessarily mean an indexed annuity will deliver market returns or higher income.

• Inflation affects people differently, so a general-purpose solution may not match an individual's needs.

• One approach discussed is to calculate the amount needed to fill a specific income gap and price an annuity for that amount.

• Evaluate annuities by their contractual guarantees, not by hypothetical returns or sales promises.

"Never buy an annuity for hypothetical, theoretical, backtested, promised returns." — Stan The Annuity Man

Connect with The Annuity Man:

Website: http://theannuityman.com/

Email: [email protected]

Book: Owner's Manuals: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/how-do-annuities-work

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCXKKxvVslbeGAlEc5sra2g

Get a Quote Today: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/annuity-calculator!

What if the cash sitting in your checking account could compound year after year without the IRS taking a cut of the interest every year? Stan, The Annuity Man, explains how Multi-Year Guarantee Annuities make that possible.

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:

• The PILL framework: principal protection, income for life, legacy, long-term care

• MYGAs as the annuity industry's version of a CD

• Tax-deferred compounding for non-qualified money

• Taking interest out, turning it on and off, and moving to a new MYGA without paying tax

• Why MYGA rates can be higher than CD rates

Key Takeaways:

• Buy an annuity for what it will do, not what it might do. Annuities are contracts that shift risk to the insurer. They aren't tools for market growth.

• CD and money market interest is taxed every year. MYGA interest in a non-qualified account grows and compounds with taxes deferred.

• You don't have to take anything out when the term ends. You can move the money into another MYGA without paying tax, and it keeps compounding.

• Need income for a while? You can take interest off the top and keep your principal, then switch the payments off when you no longer need them.

• MYGA rates can beat CD rates because insurance companies back them with other profit centers. That doesn't make MYGAs better than CDs. It just makes them a strong fit for non-IRA cash.

"Multi-year guarantee annuities - it is the biggest no-brainer of all time and the greatest example of the eighth wonder of the annuity world, which is compound interest." — Stan The Annuity Man

Connect with The Annuity Man:

Website: http://theannuityman.com/

Email: [email protected]

Book: Owner's Manuals: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/how-do-annuities-work

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCXKKxvVslbeGAlEc5sra2g

Get a Quote Today: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/annuity-calculator!

That 7.3% next to an immediate annuity isn't a yield. It reflects how long you're expected to live. In this episode, Stan explains why there are only two kinds of annuity rates, and why tracking the Fed won't help you get either one right.

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:

• The PILL framework: principal protection, income for life, legacy, long-term care

• Payout rates and life expectancy in lifetime income products

• MYGAs as the annuity version of CDs and bonds

• Why the Fed and annuity rates don't always move together

• Shopping all carriers for the highest contractual guarantee

Key Takeaways:

• A payout rate isn't an interest rate. Lifetime income payouts depend mostly on your life expectancy. The older you are, the higher the payout.

• MYGAs work like CDs. You lock in a guaranteed interest rate for a term you choose, from 1 to 10 years, and you can ladder several terms.

• Both rate types shift risk to the insurer. With a MYGA, you hand off interest-rate risk. With lifetime income, you hand off the risk of outliving your money.

• You can't time the market, so don't try. A carrier may cut its rates even when the Fed raises them, if it already has enough business from people like you.

• Treat annuities as commodities. Shop every carrier for the highest contractual guarantee, and for lifetime income, only use insurers rated A+ or better.

"Do not buy annuities for market growth. Listen to me: buy them for the contractual guarantees of the policy. End of story." — Stan The Annuity Man

Connect with The Annuity Man:

Website: http://theannuityman.com/

Email: [email protected]

Book: Owner's Manuals: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/how-do-annuities-work

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCXKKxvVslbeGAlEc5sra2g

Get a Quote Today: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/annuity-calculator!

Former Wall Street broker turned annuity evangelist, Stan the Annuity Man, argues the industry's most misunderstood product is actually the market's greatest ally. Lock in a guaranteed income floor, he says, and you'll never panic-sell your portfolio again.

In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:

• The income floor and non-correlated retirement income

• Four lifetime-income annuity types: SPIAs, DIAs, QLACs, income riders

• Why Wall Street resists annuities (wrap fees)

• Debunking the 4% rule

• Allocation limits, transparency, and anonymous quoting

Key Takeaways:

• Own an annuity for what it will contractually do, never for what it might do.

• A guaranteed income floor doesn't compete with your portfolio — it protects it, because you're never forced to sell into a downturn.

• Annuities hold a monopoly on lifetime income; no other product can pay as long as you're breathing.

• The 4% rule collapses the moment markets fall, since you're still withdrawing while trying to recover losses.

• Never go all in: the industry itself caps annuities at roughly 50–60% of investable assets, and the goal is to solve the income gap with the least money possible.

"If you want growth, don't buy an annuity. If you want guarantees, buy an annuity. It's that simple." — Stan The Annuity Man

Connect with The Annuity Man:

Website: http://theannuityman.com/

Email: [email protected]

Book: Owner's Manuals: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/how-do-annuities-work

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCXKKxvVslbeGAlEc5sra2g

Get a Quote Today: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/annuity-calculator!

Could living longer mean receiving lower annuity payments in the future? This episode explores how AI-driven medical breakthroughs could affect longevity, life expectancy assumptions, and lifetime income annuities.

In this episode, The Annuity Man discusses:

• AI-driven medical breakthroughs and their potential impact on life expectancy

• How life expectancy tables factor into lifetime income annuity pricing

• Why current life expectancy assumptions may present an opportunity to lock in lifetime income

• Lifetime income products including SPIAs, DIAs, QLACs, and Income Riders

• Why financially strong A+ or better carriers matter for lifetime income guarantees

Key Takeaways:

• AI-driven advances in medical research could potentially increase life expectancy and affect future annuity pricing.

• Lifetime income annuities are primarily priced around life expectancy, not interest rates.

• If future life expectancy assumptions increase, the speaker argues that lifetime payments could be lower because payments may need to continue for longer.

• Locking in current life expectancy assumptions could potentially result in higher lifetime income.

• Lifetime income products transfer longevity risk to the insurance company.

"How do you beat AI? How do you get ahead of AI? Lifetime income right now, because AI hasn't affected it, and the next word I'm going to say is very important, yet. It will. You know it." — Stan The Annuity Man

Connect with The Annuity Man:

Website: http://theannuityman.com/

Email: [email protected]

Book: Owner's Manuals: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/how-do-annuities-work

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCXKKxvVslbeGAlEc5sra2g

Get a Quote Today: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/annuity-calculator!