About Annuity Explained
Our standards, our fact-checking, and how we make money.
Annuity Explained is an independent education resource and matching service. We are not an insurance agency, we do not sell insurance, and we never earn commissions. Advisors pay us a flat fee only when a reader asks to be introduced. The reader pays nothing, and our content never changes because of it.
The three promises
- 01Education first. We explain how these products work. We do not sell them.
- 02Primary sources only. FINRA, SEC, IRS, and NAIC, linked on every guide.
- 03We tell you when NOT to buy. The wrong fit gets named out loud.
Our standards
Who is behind Annuity Explained, and what do we stand for?
Annuity Explained is an independent education resource and matching service for people weighing annuities, indexed universal life, and retirement income. We are not an insurance agency. We are not licensed to sell insurance, we do not issue quotes, and we do not give advice tailored to any one person.
We built this site for readers roughly 55 to 78 who keep hearing two stories about the same products. One side calls annuities a rip-off. The other calls them a miracle. Both sides are usually selling something. Our job is simpler: explain how these products actually work, in plain English, with the trade-offs stated out loud. That starts with what an annuity is and runs through the types, guaranteed lifetime income, IUL, and the retirement tax picture.
The promise we take most seriously: we will tell you when NOT to buy. Some readers should never put money in an annuity. Some should walk away from an IUL pitch. Our guides say so directly, beginning with Is an annuity right for me? And whenever a guide mentions a guarantee, the same caveat rides along every time: guarantees are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurer and are not FDIC-insured.
- Sell insurance, or accept commissions or per-sale payments of any kind.
- Publish specific rates, returns, or guaranteed dollar figures. They change, and they cannot be verified for your situation.
- Name or promote specific insurers or products in our education.
- Let an advisor see, edit, or approve a guide before it is published.
Fact-checking
How do we check the facts before you read them?
Every factual claim on this site is checked against a primary source before it is published: FINRA, the SEC and Investor.gov, the IRS, or the NAIC. If a claim cannot be traced to one of those sources, it does not go in the guide.
You can see this on the page. Guides like What is an annuity? and Annuity vs. CD end with a numbered Sources list linking straight to the regulator and government pages we relied on. Statutory numbers are dated, the way the 2026 QLAC limit of $210,000 is dated, because a number without a date drifts into being wrong.
Every guide is reviewed on a quarterly schedule. We re-check the cited pages, update anything the IRS or a regulator has changed, and refresh the Last updated date in the byline. If nothing changed, the date still tells you when we last looked.
When we get something wrong, we say so. If you spot an error, tell us through the contact link in the footer. We verify it against the primary source, correct the page promptly, and leave a note at the bottom describing what changed. We do not quietly rewrite history.
One honest limit: fact-checking makes a page accurate. It does not make it advice. Nothing here is tailored to your situation, and taxes in particular depend on facts we cannot see. For those questions, talk to a licensed tax advisor or insurance professional.
How we make money
Who pays us, and does it change what we publish?
Advisors pay us a flat fee when a reader asks to be introduced to one. That is the entire business model. We never take commissions, we are never paid per sale, and the fee is the same whether you buy something or nothing. You never pay us.
How the money actually flows
Every guide, tool, and the film. No account, no paywall, no fee, ever.
Only a reader can start an introduction. We never sell your information.
The same fee whether or not you ever buy anything. No commissions.
| Question | Annuity Explained | A typical commission arrangement |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays? | The advisor, a flat fee | The insurer, out of the product |
| When? | Only after a reader requests an introduction | When a product is sold |
| Does the amount change by product? | No. Same fee, no matter what | Often yes. Bigger products can mean bigger commissions |
| Is anyone paid per sale? | No. We are paid the same if you never buy | Yes. Compensation depends on the sale |
| Does the reader pay? | Never | Not directly. Costs are built into the product |
Because no payment depends on what you buy, no payment can lean on what we write. Advisors do not review, approve, or edit our guides. They cannot pay for placement, rankings, or coverage. If every reader finished our guides and decided an annuity was the wrong fit, our content would not change.
Before any introduction, verify any professional yourself using FINRA BrokerCheck and the SEC's adviser database, both linked in the Sources below. If and when you want that introduction, it starts with a complimentary meeting. No products, no rates, no pressure.
Plain answers
Questions readers ask about us
Is Annuity Explained an insurance agency?
Do you earn a commission if I buy an annuity?
Do I ever pay Annuity Explained anything?
Will you really tell me when an annuity is the wrong fit?
How often is the site reviewed for accuracy?
Sources
- FINRA, "Annuities." finra.org/investors/investing/investment-products/annuities
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Investor.gov, "Annuities." investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/investment-products/insurance-products/annuities
- Internal Revenue Service, Publication 575, "Pension and Annuity Income." irs.gov/publications/p575
- National Association of Insurance Commissioners, "Annuities." content.naic.org/consumer/annuities.htm
- FINRA BrokerCheck, free professional background checks. brokercheck.finra.org
- SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure. adviserinfo.sec.gov
Keep reading
When you're ready
Read us first. Judge us on the standards above.
Learn until the picture is clear, check our sources yourself, then talk to an independent advisor only if and when you want to. There is no cost to learn, and no obligation to act.
Book a complimentary meeting