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Our experts frequently write blog posts about the findings of the research we are conducting.

Displaying 6 out of 6 results for "Equity Indexed Annuities".

FDIC Warns Investors about Structured CDs

(Jul 2012)

Earlier this year, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation issued a warning about structured certificates of deposit (CDs), which are hybrid investments combining features of both traditional CDs and structured products. FINRA has also recently investigated the market for structured CDs, which has been estimated to be as large as $30 billion.

Structured CDs are essentially bank deposits whose interest payments depend on the value of a reference index instead of a predefined fixed or...

FINRA Investor Alert: Reverse Mortgages

(Nov 2010)

Reverse Mortgages: Avoiding a Reversal of Fortune

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) issued an Investor Alert to help investors make informed decisions on whether or not to take out a reverse mortgage. A reverse mortgage is a loan that is secured by the equity of the borrower's home. A reverse mortgage converts the equity into cash and the loan is paid off when the borrower dies or moves out and sells his or her home.

Investors should beware of a few things. Firstly,...

FINRA Investor Alert: Equity-Indexed Annuities

(Sep 2010)

Equity-Indexed Annuities - A Complex Choice

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) published an Investor Alert on the rewards and risks of equity-indexed annuities. An annuity makes periodic payments to the holder of the annuity. There are fixed annuities that make fixed payments and variable annuities that make variable payments. Equity-indexed annuities (EIA) are similar to both fixed and variable annuities. They pay an interest rate linked to an equity index and guarantee...

FINRA Investor Alert: Variable Annuities [Update]

(Sep 2009)

Variable Annuities: Beyond the Hard Sell

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) published an Investor Alert to help investors decide on how to invest for retirement. An annuity makes periodic payments to the holder of the annuity. There are fixed annuities that make fixed payments and variable annuities that make variable payments.

Annuities can carry costs and risks that many investors may not be aware of because brokers who are incentivized by commission-generation do...

FINRA Investor Alert: Life Settlements

(Jul 2009)

Seniors Beware: What You Should Know About Life Settlements

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) published an Investor Alert on life settlement. Life settlement is the transaction that involves selling one's life insurance policy to a third party that did not issue the policy for a lump sum payment whose value is higher than the policy's cash surrender value but less than the net death benefit.

Because life settlement is targeted at senior people, the industry can be...

FINRA Investor Alert: Variable Annuities

(Mar 2006)

Should You Exchange Your Variable Annuity?

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) published an Investor Alert on how to determine if investors should exchange their variable annuity for another model. An annuity makes periodic payments to the holder of the annuity. There are fixed annuities that make fixed payments and variable annuities that make variable payments.

While equity-indexed annuities have become increasingly popular, some have questioned their value and...

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