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Annuities have become one of the most popular ways to save for retirement and also one of the most misunderstood, overhyped, and dangerous investment vehicles available today. Some annuities are worth the money... but too many are flawed, overpriced, and packed with hidden fees that make them absolutely horrible investments. In The Truth About Buying Annuities, consumer finance expert Steven Weisman helps you make smart decisions about annuities and avoid the lies, misrepresentations, and ripoffs that await uninformed investors. From start to finish, Weisman delivers quick, bite-size, just-the-facts information and plain-English explanations you can actually use. You'll learn all you need to know about immediate, deferred, and variable annuities; actively-managed vs. indexed annuities; inflation-protected and tax-sheltered annuities; and more. Weisman explains the impact of annuities on taxes, Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care, and your other retirement plans. He presents crucial, hard-to-find information about death benefits, joint and survivor annuities, alternatives to annuities, assessing annuity risk, avoiding scams, and even how to escape from a bad annuity you've already purchased. Unlike some books on annuities, this one's simple to read, simple to use, up-to-date, and complete: it's the only annuity guide you need!
Introduction v
Truth 1 The history of annuities 1
Truth 2 Immediate annuities 5
Truth 3 Fixed rates 9
Truth 4 Deferred annuities 13
Truth 5 Annuity fees 17
Truth 6 Variable annuities 21
Truth 7 Variable annuity investment choices 25
Truth 8 Actively managing variable annuity sub-accounts 29
Truth 9 Indexed annuities 33
Truth 10 More about indexed annuities 37
Truth 11 Calculating index changes 41
Truth 12 Inflation protected annuities 45
Truth 13 Tax-sheltered annuities 49
Truth 14 Annuity settlement options 53
Truth 15 Tax deferral 57
Truth 16 Annuity risk 61
Truth 17 Annuity death benefits 66
Truth 18 Annuities and income taxes 69
Truth 19 Tax-free 1035 exchanges 73
Truth 20 Charitable gift annuities 77
Truth 21 Split annuities 81
Truth 22 Joint and survivor annuities 85
Truth 23 Shorter surrender annuities 89
Truth 24 Longevity insurance 93
Truth 25 Inheriting an annuity 97
Truth 26 Variable Annuities versus variable universal life insurance 101
Truth 27 Choosing between mutual funds and an annuity 105
Truth 28 Annuities and asset allocation 109
Truth 29 Asset allocation and laddering annuities 113
Truth 30 Minimum required distributions 117
Truth 31 59 ½ 121
Truth 32 Annuities in IRAs 125
Truth 33 Annuities and 401(k)s 129
Truth 34 More about annuities, IRAs, and 401(k)s 133
Truth 35 Annuities for children 137
Truth 36 Bonus credits 141
Truth 37 The Pension Protection Act, annuities, and long-term care 145
Truth 38 Annuities and Medicaid 149
Truth 39 Annuities and reverse mortgages 153
Truth 40 State Guaranty laws 157
Truth 41 Annuities and creditor protection 161
Truth 42 Getting out of an annuity 165
Truth 43 Annuity scams and senior citizens 169
Truth 44 Annuities and class actions 173
Truth 45 Prospectuses and annuities 177
Truth 46 Free looks 181
Truth 47 For whom annuities are best 185
Truth 48 Steve’s annuity rules part one 189
Truth 49 Steve’s annuity rules part two 193
Truth 50 Where to go for Information 197
About the Author 201