Always a good investment :>))
But you forgot powder and primers!
What you invest in?
Just my 2 cents:
Annunities have their place and purposes for estate planning and such. Among other things, in Florida the cash surrender value of an annuity is exempt from the claims of creditors (of course the same is true of IRAs and 401Ks, and whole life insurance policies). Note: via the supremacy clause, the IRS and other federal government creditors can trump this and any other state protection, although Congress or their own internal policies may prevent them from doing so.
But just within the four corners of the "investment," you can usually do much better elsewhere. The annuity proceeds are usually the product of the company (on a mass scale) investing your payments VERY carefully and taking a healthy vig. You can do the same conservative investing yourself via most IRAs and 401Ks without nearly as much vig. Of course the amounts you can invest in IRAs and 401Ks are limited, so if you have a LOT of cash to invest, possibly annuities can have a role there for your "overflow." But most of us are not sitting on that much cash.
Annunities have their place and purposes for estate planning and such. Among other things, in Florida the cash surrender value of an annuity is exempt from the claims of creditors (of course the same is true of IRAs and 401Ks, and whole life insurance policies). Note: via the supremacy clause, the IRS and other federal government creditors can trump this and any other state protection, although Congress or their own internal policies may prevent them from doing so.
But just within the four corners of the "investment," you can usually do much better elsewhere. The annuity proceeds are usually the product of the company (on a mass scale) investing your payments VERY carefully and taking a healthy vig. You can do the same conservative investing yourself via most IRAs and 401Ks without nearly as much vig. Of course the amounts you can invest in IRAs and 401Ks are limited, so if you have a LOT of cash to invest, possibly annuities can have a role there for your "overflow." But most of us are not sitting on that much cash.
“Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.”
I recently bought an annuity (and a coouple CD's) to try to stop/minimize the drain on my retirement mutual funds. I wanted to increase my monthly income, so this annuity via Fidelity gives me an extra 1K$ each month for 10 years. Between that and SS income, I can put a bit in the savings account every month.
Back in the late 80s(?) a broker told a group of us where I worked the same story; "Be a millionaire at retirement".
He also said he didn't want to see any of us have to be a "Walmart Greeter" in our retirement...
If I where to retire BEFORE full retirement age (67), I just might have to be that Walmart greeter...
Sounds goodDave P wrote: ↑Tue Mar 21, 2023 2:02 pm I recently bought an annuity (and a coouple CD's) to try to stop/minimize the drain on my retirement mutual funds. I wanted to increase my monthly income, so this annuity via Fidelity gives me an extra 1K$ each month for 10 years. Between that and SS income, I can put a bit in the savings account every month.
Old Retired Finance guy for those that recall the Loandr. call sign 
we are seeing something now called Inversion (we have seen it 7 times before in the past ALL leading to a bad recession) I digress. Look at the 2 and 30 yr T's right now, that tells the story! the Govt is scared to committ to anything long term payout wise hence forcing all $ short. Bottom line short term $$$ Awesome right now 5+% for 1 yr commitment (Synchrony, Morgan Stanley etc)! That big . NO your not out paceing Inflation sadly, sorry but sucks for us, that train long gone, best now is the new american way earning as much as you can, side work if possible and cutting back.....that's how we keep up with inflation IFFFF we want NOOOO RISK Involved! 
THAT folks the key.....Buffered ETF can keep you in the Market (S&p based usually) and limit your downside for sum (for example 20% protection on the downside and capping you at 12-13% on the upside). Annuities work for some NOT all bad, indexed Annuities can be fee plagued, But fixed annuities have no or little fees, offer guaranteed payout (and usually attractively when INVERSION NOT applicable) SHIT 1 yr cd's right NOW paying close to the best fixed annuities BUT that will change back soon, as the recession rears its head rates will come back down .....ORRR Annuities that offer Lifetime Income streams for example if say 60 Now and put 500K in an AIG (Excellent stability) at 65 would pay YOU and YOUR spouse 62K annually FOR LIFE, regardless whom passed first (Jointly), the annuity offerings have gotten much better. Again not high fees AND commissions are PD by the INS company to your broker not by you. Could the 1/2 Mil do better is something Market based.....History says fuck yes.....MY guess is last 10 yrs will not hold what the next 10 will, look at the last 2, that the direction we going SOOOO it all goes back to RISK level and time one has......Just one pups 2 cents. 
we are seeing something now called Inversion (we have seen it 7 times before in the past ALL leading to a bad recession) I digress. Look at the 2 and 30 yr T's right now, that tells the story! the Govt is scared to committ to anything long term payout wise hence forcing all $ short. Bottom line short term $$$ Awesome right now 5+% for 1 yr commitment (Synchrony, Morgan Stanley etc)! That big . NO your not out paceing Inflation sadly, sorry but sucks for us, that train long gone, best now is the new american way earning as much as you can, side work if possible and cutting back.....that's how we keep up with inflation IFFFF we want NOOOO RISK Involved! THAT folks the key.....Buffered ETF can keep you in the Market (S&p based usually) and limit your downside for sum (for example 20% protection on the downside and capping you at 12-13% on the upside). Annuities work for some NOT all bad, indexed Annuities can be fee plagued, But fixed annuities have no or little fees, offer guaranteed payout (and usually attractively when INVERSION NOT applicable) SHIT 1 yr cd's right NOW paying close to the best fixed annuities BUT that will change back soon, as the recession rears its head rates will come back down .....ORRR Annuities that offer Lifetime Income streams for example if say 60 Now and put 500K in an AIG (Excellent stability) at 65 would pay YOU and YOUR spouse 62K annually FOR LIFE, regardless whom passed first (Jointly), the annuity offerings have gotten much better. Again not high fees AND commissions are PD by the INS company to your broker not by you. Could the 1/2 Mil do better is something Market based.....History says fuck yes.....MY guess is last 10 yrs will not hold what the next 10 will, look at the last 2, that the direction we going SOOOO it all goes back to RISK level and time one has......Just one pups 2 cents. 
^^
CORRECT.
There is virtually no such thing as "investment" any more. Investment takes progress; anyone see any progress, or anyone "making things"?
Best thing you as an individual can do is deal with the yields artificially manipulated by the FED.
My suggestion for the present is a short term T Bill fund. The reason I say fund is so the institution - one of the larger funds like Vanguard or Fidelity, etc. - does the rollovers when they mature, remember every 90 days. Yes, you can do it, but then it becomes your task. These will keep up with interest rate changes while the fed is fiddling. Then, when its appears the rates are about done increasing, liquidate that fund and go to the 2 or 10 year T Bonds. (You didn't expect to make money without ANY thinking, did you? Take that return until the interest rates go down for the next recession, then sell when everyone else is crying about their low returns, you'll have a capital gain on the bonds - they go up when the interest rates go down. You will have to manage them to a certain degree, but not fully active management like you would with stocks.
CORRECT.
There is virtually no such thing as "investment" any more. Investment takes progress; anyone see any progress, or anyone "making things"?
Best thing you as an individual can do is deal with the yields artificially manipulated by the FED.
My suggestion for the present is a short term T Bill fund. The reason I say fund is so the institution - one of the larger funds like Vanguard or Fidelity, etc. - does the rollovers when they mature, remember every 90 days. Yes, you can do it, but then it becomes your task. These will keep up with interest rate changes while the fed is fiddling. Then, when its appears the rates are about done increasing, liquidate that fund and go to the 2 or 10 year T Bonds. (You didn't expect to make money without ANY thinking, did you? Take that return until the interest rates go down for the next recession, then sell when everyone else is crying about their low returns, you'll have a capital gain on the bonds - they go up when the interest rates go down. You will have to manage them to a certain degree, but not fully active management like you would with stocks.
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a Single Star.
Thread is in a thankfully good and substantial direction and this is not to contradict any preceding posts but to underscore why (imo) it is critical any with $ still in previous employers’ 401k’s, 457’s, etc. ROLLOVER that money into an IRA with a trusted fund company (I.e., Vanguard, T. Rowe Price, Fidelity, Prime Cap, etc.) and AWAY from the increasingly politicized 401 / 457 universe.
Case in point (does any rational person believe that anything the looney-Leftists propose is going to enhance any financial security (let alone independence of you and your family/progeny?)
I am confident near history is going to reveal (if it is not already) “ESG-investing” is playing pivotal roles in the ongoing bank failures:
House Fails to Override Biden’s First Presidential Veto Amid Dispute Over ESG Investment Rule
The House of Representatives on Thursday failed to override President Joe Biden’s first veto of his presidency, which was related to a Biden administration rule on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment.
The House vote of 219–200 in favor of overriding Biden’s veto fell short of the two-thirds majority threshold required. All Republicans who were present voted in favor of overriding the veto. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) was the lone Democrat who joined them in the vote.
Biden’s veto, issued March 20, rejected a resolution introduced by Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) to rescind a Department of Labor (DOL) rule that went into effect on Jan. 30. The resolution, whose companion bill was led by Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), passed the House and Senate via simple majority votes.
The DOL rule allows pension fund managers to invest people’s retirement money according to various ESG criteria. It replaces a previous rule issued under the Trump administration in 2020 that required fund managers to make investments only based on financial considerations.
The Biden administration rule affects the pensions of 152 million Americans, which amount to some $12 trillion.
“House Democrats just overwhelmingly doubled down in defense of Biden’s radical ESG regulation,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said in a statement on Twitter on Thursday in response to the failed veto override.
“House Republicans have different priorities: your retirement savings should NOT be used to fund political activism,” he added. “We’ll continue to fight for American workers over woke Wall Street.”
Barr, who introduced the anti-ESG measure, on Thursday shared a Twitter post from Rep. John Rose (R-Tenn.): “@HouseGOP is sending a message to President Biden: we stand with hard-working, middle-class Americans over woke, special interest groups.
“Americans’ retirement accounts should be protected from left-wing lunacy. @RepAndyBarr is leading this effort and I’m 100% supportive—for the financial security of Tennesseans.”
ESG is a voluntary activity companies can pursue. The non-financial criteria are measured by external, third-party providers. Companies deemed to better meet ESG criteria may be allotted more capital and credit, and preferential contracting, by financial institutions subscribed to the ESG agenda.
Supporters of ESG say such criteria can guide companies to reflect changing trends and benefit their employees and society at large in non-financial ways.
But those opposed to ESG say that it amounts to something like a social credit score that shifts investing from focusing on revenue, investor returns, and the quality of goods and services, to focusing on arbitrary and subjective goals that seek to achieve political and social justice causes, sometimes at the expense of financial returns.
Many Republican and some Democrat lawmakers have said the DOL rule would politicize investing and allow pension fund managers to risk Americans’ hard-earned dollars to pursue leftist causes that have nothing to do with finances, including climate change and gender diversity.
Prior to Biden’s veto, the Democrats who voted with Republicans to rescind the DOL rule were Rep. Golden, and Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).
Other Democrats say that the rule would just allow the fund managers to acknowledge ESG criteria as relevant to analyzing their investments.
“This bill would risk your retirement savings by making it illegal to consider risk factors MAGA House Republicans don’t like,” Biden previously said on Twitter in announcing his veto. Biden said in a White House statement that the rule “protects the hard-earned life savings and pensions of tens of millions of workers and retirees across the country.”
“This ESG rule will weaken our energy, national, and economic security while jeopardizing the hard-earned retirement savings of 150 million West Virginians and Americans,” Manchin had said after Biden’s veto. “Despite a clear and bipartisan rejection of the rule from Congress, President Biden is choosing to put his administration’s progressive agenda above the well-being of the American people.”
Barr previously told the House floor that ESG funds carry higher fees and are less diversified than non-ESG funds. “Twenty-one percent of investors don’t even know what ESG stands for,” he said.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/house-fai ... axFv8xE%3D
Case in point (does any rational person believe that anything the looney-Leftists propose is going to enhance any financial security (let alone independence of you and your family/progeny?)
I am confident near history is going to reveal (if it is not already) “ESG-investing” is playing pivotal roles in the ongoing bank failures:
House Fails to Override Biden’s First Presidential Veto Amid Dispute Over ESG Investment Rule
The House of Representatives on Thursday failed to override President Joe Biden’s first veto of his presidency, which was related to a Biden administration rule on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment.
The House vote of 219–200 in favor of overriding Biden’s veto fell short of the two-thirds majority threshold required. All Republicans who were present voted in favor of overriding the veto. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) was the lone Democrat who joined them in the vote.
Biden’s veto, issued March 20, rejected a resolution introduced by Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) to rescind a Department of Labor (DOL) rule that went into effect on Jan. 30. The resolution, whose companion bill was led by Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), passed the House and Senate via simple majority votes.
The DOL rule allows pension fund managers to invest people’s retirement money according to various ESG criteria. It replaces a previous rule issued under the Trump administration in 2020 that required fund managers to make investments only based on financial considerations.
The Biden administration rule affects the pensions of 152 million Americans, which amount to some $12 trillion.
“House Democrats just overwhelmingly doubled down in defense of Biden’s radical ESG regulation,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said in a statement on Twitter on Thursday in response to the failed veto override.
“House Republicans have different priorities: your retirement savings should NOT be used to fund political activism,” he added. “We’ll continue to fight for American workers over woke Wall Street.”
Barr, who introduced the anti-ESG measure, on Thursday shared a Twitter post from Rep. John Rose (R-Tenn.): “@HouseGOP is sending a message to President Biden: we stand with hard-working, middle-class Americans over woke, special interest groups.
“Americans’ retirement accounts should be protected from left-wing lunacy. @RepAndyBarr is leading this effort and I’m 100% supportive—for the financial security of Tennesseans.”
ESG is a voluntary activity companies can pursue. The non-financial criteria are measured by external, third-party providers. Companies deemed to better meet ESG criteria may be allotted more capital and credit, and preferential contracting, by financial institutions subscribed to the ESG agenda.
Supporters of ESG say such criteria can guide companies to reflect changing trends and benefit their employees and society at large in non-financial ways.
But those opposed to ESG say that it amounts to something like a social credit score that shifts investing from focusing on revenue, investor returns, and the quality of goods and services, to focusing on arbitrary and subjective goals that seek to achieve political and social justice causes, sometimes at the expense of financial returns.
Many Republican and some Democrat lawmakers have said the DOL rule would politicize investing and allow pension fund managers to risk Americans’ hard-earned dollars to pursue leftist causes that have nothing to do with finances, including climate change and gender diversity.
Prior to Biden’s veto, the Democrats who voted with Republicans to rescind the DOL rule were Rep. Golden, and Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).
Other Democrats say that the rule would just allow the fund managers to acknowledge ESG criteria as relevant to analyzing their investments.
“This bill would risk your retirement savings by making it illegal to consider risk factors MAGA House Republicans don’t like,” Biden previously said on Twitter in announcing his veto. Biden said in a White House statement that the rule “protects the hard-earned life savings and pensions of tens of millions of workers and retirees across the country.”
“This ESG rule will weaken our energy, national, and economic security while jeopardizing the hard-earned retirement savings of 150 million West Virginians and Americans,” Manchin had said after Biden’s veto. “Despite a clear and bipartisan rejection of the rule from Congress, President Biden is choosing to put his administration’s progressive agenda above the well-being of the American people.”
Barr previously told the House floor that ESG funds carry higher fees and are less diversified than non-ESG funds. “Twenty-one percent of investors don’t even know what ESG stands for,” he said.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/house-fai ... axFv8xE%3D
Last edited by flanc on Fri Mar 24, 2023 12:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Wife & I put our 457 $$$ with Vanguard.
Low fees, and they make adjustments to the investments
to meet market changes, based on the amount of risk we defined.
We don't have to guess what to do with the $$$, we pay them to figure it out.
We just want to keep ahead of inflation, they are doing that OK for us.
Low fees, and they make adjustments to the investments
to meet market changes, based on the amount of risk we defined.
We don't have to guess what to do with the $$$, we pay them to figure it out.
We just want to keep ahead of inflation, they are doing that OK for us.
for many yrs the VOO from Vanguard has been the standard for Marketplay without the market for many folks this is what that last yr looked like for the VOO (down bout 13% for the last YR) next few will rear the same. I love Vanguard as a general statement just be careful where you fall within their options as there no longer is ANY outpacing Inflation without REAL risk. Is what it is 
https://www.google.com/search?q=voo&rlz ... e&ie=UTF-8
https://www.google.com/search?q=voo&rlz ... e&ie=UTF-8