Getting Started in Annuities

Getting Started in annuities

One of the most popular retirement investment options, annuities are also among the most difficult to comprehend. This handy volume provides an in-depth, easy-to-understand look at these complex instruments, revealing exactly what they are, how they work, and what advantages they have over other investment vehicles. Along with performance tables, sample portfolios, and a helpful Q & A section, you'll find up-to-date details on tax law changes, as well as complete information on:

Customer Reviews:

An acceptable primer on annuities

By Dale C. Maley "Index Fund Investor" - April 28, 2007

I wanted to do some research on variable annuities, and I was surprised to find very few books on the subject.

I found Williamson's writing style acceptable, but not really enjoyable to read.

I found this book informative, with some attention to the pros and cons of annuities, but with some major issues.

When I first read the author's example of two investors (one invests $1M in a variable annuity and the other invests $1M in a regular stock mutual fund), my gut said something was wrong with his math. On page 65, he runs through these 2 cases and pronounces the variable annuity man the big winner over the regular mutual fund investor....$11M to $6.829 after 24 years.

The author mentions a 15% pretax rate of return and an average 12% return. From what I can tell he didn't use either number in his calculations.

My analysis of his example goes like this....

For the ordinary mutual fund investor to end up with $6.829M after... read more

A little helpful, but very poorly written

By Debbie the Book Devourer "dletour7" - August 26, 2005

If what the author says is true, I despair of ever really learning about annuities. He claims that, as of the writing of this book, there have been four books on annuities, and he's written three of them. Ugh.

First, the positive, because there's almost always something positive. The green ink they used for the print is very easy on the eyes. And I did manage to learn a little about the very confusing world of annuities.

But that's about it for the positive. The book was not very clearly written or organized. Some sections didn't seem to pertain to the chapter title. The examples were mostly un-helpful. So to make up for his lack of clarity, the author resorted to repetition, which only made matters worse.

The other thing that bothered me was how gung-ho the author was about annuities. I almost felt like I was reading a sales pitch rather than an educational book.

Maybe annuities really are so confusing that no one can make them... read more

Well informed discussing the pros and cons of annuities

By Robert Nichols - January 1, 2007

This was a very well written book covering everything a novice would want to know about investing in annuities. However, I would have liked to see a direct comparison of an employer sponsored 401k to a variable annuity. Overall, I would not invest in an annuity due to the complex rules and regulations coupled with their ongoing high fees. I would rather put my money into a Roth IRA, Traditional IRA and/or 401K.