A financial advisor who's written $40 million in annuities explains why they work so well for people in their 50s-70s: word-of-mouth spreads fast in bingo halls, retirees still remember 2008 and want guaranteed principal protection, and fixed-index annuities offer no-loss guarantees with bonus features that jump-start returns.
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I've written about $40 million in annuities, and you know how much I spent on leads? Zero. Annuities are a great referral product because they're geared for— if you think of who our target audience is, it's people 50s, 60s, 70s. Who do they hang around? They're not down at your basketball court saying, "I got next." They're playing bingo, they're doing all kinds of stuff. They're hanging out with other people just like that. So it's a great referral source. And if you talk to somebody who is 50s or 60s, they're all here in 2008. When you ask them what their account did in 2008, they act like they lost it yesterday. But if you're not actually retired, then it doesn't financially impact you yet. It just sucks. To lose it all. And when you talk to the clients today, it's like, "Okay, so you remember in 2008?" They're like, "Oh my God, I lost half my money." Like, "Yeah, how would that feel if that happened today?" I don't believe in, you know, sky is falling, Chicken Little, "Oh my God, you're going to lose all your money." But it's like, we have these products that are so strong today that we can remove that risk. We don't have to worry about losing any money. We have bonus products that give you a jumpstart from where you're currently at now. The fees that we have on fixed index annuities are little to none, and you still get a fair return. So, when you're talking to people who are retired or retiring, what more do you want out of your retirement than something like that?