The idea behind Annuity IQ was to help the consumer make an informed decision on the purchase of a variable annuity. You can either be sold an annuity or an annuity can be advised as a vehicle that will meet your needs, there is a difference.

Anyone can sell you anything and being a salesman is part of being a financial advisor. Some of the most successful brokers I know are great salesman, but does that make them a great broker? Not necessarily. A good financial advisor will advise you and not pitch you a product. A good financial advisor would want you to view the material I have put together and not be afraid for you to learn the facts.

A salesman, on the other hand, will fear you learning the facts. They want you to make a quick decision on the spur of the moment. They will not want you to visit my site or get information, as it might torpedo their sale. Salesman are why variable annuities have a bad name to begin with. When used properly, a variable annuity can be a great tool. Make sure you have a financial advisor and not a salesman, as the difference could make or break you.

I firmly believe in financial advisors. They offer you advice and knowledge that you cannot get from a book or by watching an hour long show on TV. Getting your advice from a magazine or a TV show makes as much sense as me dispensing medical advice to you on this site. TV shows and publications can give you certain talking points, but since they have no idea about your personal needs, how in the world can you take their advice literally? After all, they are meant to be entertainment to boost ratings and circulation of their product.

Likewise, there are several internet sites that provide annuity information and what is their goal? To eventually sell you an annuity. It is my firm belief that anyone offering you free information has an ulterior motive, which is to sell you something down the road. If their goal is to sell you something, are they really unbiased?

Perception versus reality

It is a fact that you get nothing for free in this world. Other resources on the internet are good, but again they do have ulterior motives. They give you the perception that you are getting free advice or free information, but have you ever noticed that the products are all just about the same from site to site? Either there are no good ideas or products left or there is a reason for the product line-up being very similar.

The perception is you are getting free information and able to do your own research. The reality is you are being shown a very small amount of product. This is why I am always expanding my site and content to cover what is going on in the annuity world. This is why I am always looking for new variable annuities to review and rate. I want you to have a well rounded balanced experience with absolutely no pressure to buy a product, as I do not sell annuities.

I do not give anything away for free, why? I value my time as you value your time and I have done what no one has ever taken the time to do, actual research on these products. Nowhere on the internet will you find all the information available to you as you have it here at Annuity IQ. Frankly, if you do not want or cannot afford to spend a little bit of money to find out which is the best variable annuity to meet your needs, then you are not in a position to buy a variable annuity.

Even though a variable annuity is not right for everyone, they have definitely won a place in America’s heart as a popular investment. People will say that annuities are not bought, they are sold. The reason for this is because people have confused the facts so much no one knows which way is up. Also, the products have become more complicated than ever before, especially with living benefits. If we could clarify the record, give you the straight facts and make the information easier for you to understand, then annuities would be bought and not sold. This is Annuity IQ’s mission.