I began my career in financial services more than 18 years ago.  One of the first product lines I learned about were annuities.  Even with all of the advancements in annuity technology over the years one thing regarding annuities has remained consistent…annuities are one of the most misunderstood products in the financial services industry.

One of the most common objections given by annuity prospects is that they read that annuities are “bad”.  There is good reason why prospects give this response; if you do an internet search on the word “annuity”, the majority of the top results usually say something like “don’t buy annuities” or “learn the truth about annuities”. The common thread in these articles is that annuities are complex products that can be easily confused or flat out misrepresented.  That negative point of view may be valid, but also annuities can help simplify a client’s financial strategy and if positioned properly provide positive benefits…it all depends on how an annuity is positioned.