Annuities: The Good, the Bad, and the Complicated

Annuity Review; for a fee, MACRO Consulting Group reviews annuity contracts, including a written report and a phone call with one of their Annuity Specialists. annuityreview.com

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Annuities, https://www.sec.gov/answers/annuity.htm

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Variable Annuities: What You Should Know, https://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/varannty.htm

FINRA Investor Alerts, Variable Annuities: Beyond the Hard Sell, 8/31/2009. http://www.finra.org/Investors/ProtectYourself/InvestorAlerts/AnnuitiesAndInsurance/P005976

FINRA Investor Alerts, Equity-Indexed Annuities—A Complex Choice, 9/13/2010, http://www.finra.org/investors/protectyourself/investoralerts/annuitiesandinsurance/p010614

National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), Buyer’s Guide to Equity-Indexed Annuities, available at http://www.insurance.illinois.gov/Life_Annuities/equityindex.asp .
*Pretty thorough

Michael Kitces, Nerd’s Eye View (blog), April 10, 2013. “Strategies For Existing Variable Annuities With GLWB Or GMIB Riders.” Available at http://www.kitces.com/blog/Strategies-For-Existing-Variable-Annuities-With-GLWB-Or-GMIB-Riders/ .
*Good explanation of GLWB and GMIB as well as discussion of how to evaluate existing annuities, esp. those purchased before 2008.

Lisa Gibbs in Money Magazine, Aug. 2013, pp. 75-79. “Variable Annuities: A Shrinking Catch.”
* A good explanation of how VA riders have changed since the recession, and the impact on the income you might receive. I was unable to find this online, so check your library for a hard copy of the magazine.

Lisa Gibbs in Money Magazine, Jan-Feb 2011, pp. 138-145.  “Investor Guide 2011 – What to Avoid: The Safety Trap.”
*In depth, fairly explosive exposé of index annuities.  I was unable to find this online, so check your library for a hard copy of the magazine.