Insights · The Annuity Explained blog
Plain-English annuity and retirement income insights
This is our full library: thirty plain-English posts on how annuities work, what they cost, how retirement income is taxed, and when to walk away. Every post shows both sides, cites regulators rather than brochures, and sells nothing. Start with the category that matches your question; the skeptical posts come first for a reason.
For the skeptics
4 postsHonest answers for readers who distrust annuities, starting with the criticism that is earned.
Types of annuities
4 postsWhat each product actually is, one page at a time, without the jargon.
Comparisons
5 postsAnnuities set against the alternatives you already know, with the trade-offs shown on both sides.
Annuity vs. 401(k): How They Differ and Work Together
Read the post →Annuity vs. IRA: Which Comes First?
Read the post →Annuity vs. Bonds for Retirement Income
Read the post →Annuity vs. Dividend Stocks: Income You Own vs. Income You Rent
Read the post →Annuity vs. Pension: Building Your Own
Read the post →The fine print
3 postsFees, surrender charges, and riders, out loud and in the open before you sign anything.
The numbers
1 postWhat an annuity actually pays, in dollars, with the assumptions shown.
Taxes
6 postsHow annuity and retirement income taxes really work: RMDs, exchanges, exclusion ratios, and the Medicare surcharge nobody warns you about.
How Annuities Are Taxed: Qualified vs. Non-Qualified
Read the post →The Exclusion Ratio: Why Part of Your Annuity Check Is Tax-Free Return of Principal
Read the post →Annuities and RMDs: How They Interact
Read the post →The 1035 Exchange: Swapping Annuities Without a Tax Bill
Read the post →The Tax Torpedo: When RMDs Collide With Social Security
Read the post →IRMAA, Explained: The Medicare Surcharge That Sneaks Up
Read the post →Retirement risks
2 postsThe two retirement risks annuities exist to answer, named plainly.
Trust and safety
1 postWhat actually backs an annuity's promise, and what happens when an insurer stumbles.
IUL, honestly
2 postsIndexed universal life with both sides shown, because it gets pitched right alongside annuities.
Deciding
2 postsWhen an annuity fits, when to walk away, and exactly what to ask before you sign.
The Plain-English Income Plan™
Understand it first. Then decide, on your timeline.
When you are ready, and only then, talk with an independent, fiduciary-minded advisor in a complimentary discovery meeting. No products, no rates, no pressure. Just a clear read on whether an annuity has a job to do in your plan.
Book a complimentary meetingComplimentary · No obligation · The advisor is independent and licensed.
You leave with your Retirement Income & Tax Blueprint
- Where your guaranteed income floor stands today
- Your three-bucket tax picture, mapped
- Your reading list above, turned into a plan
- When an annuity fits, and when to walk away