Annuities are probably the most maligned and misunderstood of all safe investment alternatives. They are often championed as the best thing since paper money by those who sell them and smeared by stockbrokers, business reporters and virtually everyone selling securities (Personally, I’ve never understood why investments that have risk are called “securities”). In fact, no financial product is universally good or bad for all people: annuities are no exception. But, annuities do fill a void for conservative Americans looking for a safe place to save money. If you’re looking for excitement, wild price swings and something to talk about during happy hour, forget annuities and go for investments that rise and fall like a kite in a high wind. Just be sure you can handle the risks.

Possibly, you already own an annuity or are thinking about placing your hard earned money into one. If so, you should plan to keep your annuity for the longer term – five years or more. If your investment horizon is less than five years, think bank! Like many other alternatives, annuities typically need at least five years to deliver the most attractive results. The longer the growing season for your financial garden, the larger the harvest is likely to be.

Nonetheless, annuities are not for everyone, nor are all annuities created equal. Some really are better than others. Just because you are willing and able to make longer term investments doesn’t make annuities the right choice for you. My purpose in telling you about annuities is to help you understand them better and to pick those that are appropriate for you or to get rid of the ones you shouldn’t have bought in the first place. You’ll learn which ones to keep and which ones to throw back, and you’ll learn about one particularly rotten class of annuities: two-tiers.

Sadly, the press isn’t much help in learning about annuities either because journalists haven’t taken the time to learn about them, or worse, he or she may have an agenda other than full disclosure. In fact, some financial columnists make their living selling securities. To some extent, newspapers depend on advertising purchased by brokerage firms and banks, and use data supplied by them. They need these advertisers and don’t want to alienate them. Bear in mind that brokerage firms and banks suffer wallet share loss every time one of their clients buys an annuity. In other words, it is not in their best interest to say complementary things about annuities. Why would a banker that sells FDIC insured CDs or a stockbroker that sells stocks and bonds have anything good to say about annuities? Would brokerage firms advertise in a newspaper, or treat a reporter to a power lunch, that praised annuities? Would you get objective information about the need to preserve the wolf population from sheep ranchers whose animals are being eaten by wolves? In both cases, I think not.

In that context, it’s obvious why bankers and brokers are so anti-annuities. Don’t hold your breath waiting for them to admit their biases. Frankly, their prejudices are so ingrained they actually buy their own stories. I’d like to set the record straight by giving you the real story about annuities. (Just for the record, I’m neither a banker nor stockbroker.)

My objective is to empower you with sufficient information to determine if the annuity you own, or are considering, is right for you. I will show you how to weigh your annuity on the “Good-Bad Annuity Scale” and draw your own conclusions. If you understand what an annuity can and cannot do, it will be hard to fool you into buying something you don’t need or not buy something you really do need. It is just as bad to miss the bus as it is to take the wrong bus, because either way you won’t get to your destination. I want you on the right bus to a happy retirement where you’ll earn the most from the money you’ve saved for your golden years.

By the way, Americans purchase more than $200 billion in annuities each year and trillions of dollars are currently invested in annuities. That’s a lot of money sheltered from current income taxes, out of the reach of most creditors, that can be used to buy a guaranteed lifetime income you can’t outlive, and that will bypass probate when the final trumpet sounds. The majority of these annuities were not sold by banks and stockbrokers (they were busy selling CDs and securities), and they’re understandably unhappy about their lost profits and commissions. I can see their point… but it’s your money.

If your looking for more details – read this eReport and watch a short video seminar free:

http://www.theretirementpros.com/RP_annuities_primer.php

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Attributes of the Best Forex Broker

The amount of choice when selecting a broker in the modern day is massive with so many brokers all claiming to be top in their class and offering incentives to entice traders to invest your money with them, it’s hard to separate the mediocre brokerage firms from the true professionals. A traders ultimate decision on why they choose should depend on their individual trading needs. The following are seven attributes a good forex broker should have.

1. Spread Type Offering – A good forex broker will offer a fixed spread. Although this means a trader may not always have the highest possible profit, it will give the advantage of predictability. Forex brokers make their profit on the spread (the distance between the pips in the currency’s quoted price). Although fixed spreads are usually somewhat wider than the narrowest variable spreads, they can be safer over the long term.

2. Leverage Options Choice – A broker that provides a variety of leverage option choices gives the trader greater control over how much risk they take with each trade. Using less leverage when trading exotic currencies than when trading well-known, stable currencies for example is a good strategy. Although lower leverage means lower risk of a margin call (replenishing money in the trading account) it also limits your possible profit. If however your capital is limited, in order to turn a profit you’ll need a broker who offers high leverage, even if that’s the only type of leverage you can get.

3. Technical and Fundamental Analysis – A good broker should provide their clients with a certain level of technical and fundamental analysis, market research reports, and other data necessary to make informed trading decisions. The decision on what broker to use is an important one and before deciding on a particular broker it is sensible to draw up a list of the types of tools and data needed to trade and consider how much of what the broker provides will actually be of benefit.

4. Client Support and Assistance – Time stops for no man and neither does the forex market which should run for 24 hours a day at a good brokerage firm. This same brokerage firm should also be able to offer support around the clock. As a trader you want to know that if you run into a problem with a trade you’ll be able to reach a live person in the brokerage firm immediately. ‘Business hours only’ support isn’t sufficient especially if there are time differences between business hours at the firm’s company headquarters and the trader themselves.

5. Not Overselling – A good broker is one who doesn’t oversell what they can do and offer or make unrealistic promises about performance. Brokers who claim they can eliminate the risk of financial loss are also attempting to deceive potential clients and should be avoided at all costs. Remember a good broker can never guarantee a profit, even the smallest of profit.

6. Sniping – Sniping occurs when a broker buys or sells at preset points solely in order to increase his or her own profits. A good broker would never do this and when a broker does undertake the practice of sniping it isn’t going to do anything good for the investment capital.

7. Recognized Registration and Financial Backing – A good broker will have legal registration and solid financial backing and are the minimum that should be expected. It is always sensible to check that the forex broker is registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as a Futures Commercial Merchant (FCM) as this is required and tells the trader that the brokerage is government regulated.

A bad broker can be a drain on profits but did you know that there is a easy way to minimize that problem? Use an expert advisor that is programmed to beat the spread that brokerage firms inflict on your trading results. Click here and find out how you can improve your trading results tenfold with the right strategy.