Are Annuities Bad? The Truth About Ken Fisher

[@ScrivenArt]

This is one of my new favorites! You have helped me help so many people with retirement planning and in return I have sent nearly every client to your podcasts, books, and documentary. Thanks for being my indirect business partner!!

[@DavidMcKnight]

Thank you! That’s terrific!

[@austinburns4213]

I have been seriously debating buying an annuity. The challenge for me is that since the annuity insurance company gets too keep all of your principal, the actual payout (assuming you start after 60 sometime) is closer to 0% to 1%. Secure yes, but won’t keep up with inflation - so not really secure. Most of the payout is just providing your principal back to you 6% at a time. That is, putting 600k in the bank and taking out 3,000 a month will pay the same as the annuity. Guaranteed for 17 years at 0% return. Even if you live a few years past the time when all the principal is gone at the insurance company, the total return is then is 1% at most. The insurance company just pockets all of the investment return during that 17 year period and provides a small amount back you you if you live longer than expected. It seems like the insurance company assumes virtually no risk and no skin in the game. If they offered 50% of the principal back, then it would be a fairer deal. Just think’in.

[@DavidMcKnight]

This may be true with a Single Premium Immediate Annuity but Fixed Indexed Annuities offer similar guarantees without the drawbacks you discuss here.

[@johngill2853]

1. Insurance companies keep your money at death is one way of many to structure a SPIA 2. Yes inflation is a worry but you can invest the rest of your portfolio more aggressively because you have steady income. 3. 60 is very young to be looking at an SPIA, try 70 or 80 4. If you do buy a SPIA annuity you should feel most likely you'll live more than 17 years or it would be a mistake to buy one (that doesn't mean you will live but are planning on it)

[@ryanodonnell4184]

Annuties are horrible, especially in high inflation environments. Instead diversify: some stocks for long term income generation as well as inflation absorbtion, and ladder debt products like treasuries. This keeps you LIQUID and SECURE. Annuities SUCK. They are the WORST.

[@FinancialFastLane]

Very well done! Thanks Dave!

[@davidmcknight8201]

Thanks Lane!

[@randolphh8005]

As usual the truth is somewhere in between. We have some longevity annuities. Main problem is minimal inflation protection for many products. This somewhat offsets the value of guaranteed income. Personally believe a little of both approaches is good for us.

[@DavidMcKnight]

No doubt !

[@RetirementPlanningEducation]

Great video, David! There are definitely instances where annuities are sold instead of bought and not what's best for the client. But, Ken Fisher's dogmatic and biased view against annuities is WAY off base on many levels, as you pointed out (and I'm sure he knows that...)

[@DavidMcKnight]

Thanks Andy. I agree!

[@jeffdrake869]

Thanks for the education and the truth!

[@DavidMcKnight]

You’re welcome!

[@thejasoncunningham]

Awesome video David! I plan to buy your books over the holidays

[@davidmcknight8201]

Great! Hope you enjoy!

[@mikeniemczyk3170]

Way to go Dave!! Thank you for work in clarifying the misinformation for the misinformed.

[@DavidMcKnight]

Thanks Mike! You’re welcome!

[@maha77]

I'm about to turn 57 and recently on disability for a serious health issue, and I want to keep my modest 401k money safe for when I hit 65 and lose my work-related disability payment. I'm planning on rolling it into a 7 year MYGA annuity to know exactly how much I will have, I'm terrified of losing money in the market. To me it seems like a smart move but everyone is telling me its a bad move and to keep it in my 401k and I can make more. It gets so confusing. This video makes me feel good about the annuity. I love the idea of knowing exactly how much I will have at 65 and I know I can make that amount work with my current cash savings and my Social Security Disability payments. Thanks for this video

[@darrennorton2680]

David hit it out of the park with this one. Love it. going to share it.

[@DavidMcKnight]

Thanks Darren!

[@ASKSet4LifeIAM]

Thank you so much for the amazing empowering contents that will Impacts people's lives. So grateful 🙏 for that Mr. Knight.

[@DavidMcKnight]

Happy to help.

[@mjs28s]

That was a misleading way of stating the argument about fees, @1:05 Sure, the fees DON'T come out of your income, which is true. But that applies to every investment that I have ever owned. Every ETF and mutual fund has fees and expenses and they don't deduct that from the income stream. It comes out before, just like many of the high commission annuities out there, not just the variable. Capping the upside is also a great way for them to rake in huge amounts of cash from your investment.

[@DavidMcKnight]

Before entering into an annuity I can freely evaluate which company will give me the highest income over the balance of my life. Will the annuity company I choose make money off of that transaction? Certainly. But I’m getting precisely what I bargained for. And this flies in the face of how Ken Fisher characterizes the transaction. When he talks about annuity fees he’s mainly talking about variable annuities and he wittingly impugns all the other kinds of annuities in service of his ultimate objective-getting people to move their money to Fisher investments, where he charges 1.2% to 1.5% of the entire balance per year.

[@lincolnselk2470]

Wonderful stuff. Newer to the financial planning world and I'm blown away by the amount of finger pointing, smoke and mirrors, etc.

[@cartracer64]

thanks for the video. i was looking into future income guaranteed annuity. current rates are 9.30 percent, single life with cash refund. . the rates now are higher than ever. i know about the inflation concern. i receive a small pension now and still work and my pension has no inflation built in but i like that extra income every month for life. there is no perfect solution for whatever you invest in.

[@DavidMcKnight]

Let us know if we can help.

[@half_a_bubble_off]

One fallacy of the comparison that the annuity far outpaces the 4% (or 3%) rule leaves out that the 4% rule was calculated with withdrawals being adjusted for average inflation. The typical annuity has no inflation factor. Over potential 30 years of retirement, that is a huge difference. Yes, Fixed Index Annuities can address that, but they are a complex product typically requiring a 10 year or so period to begin withdrawing income.

[@DavidMcKnight]

I agree this is often overlooked. Inflation adjusted annuities can compensate but admittedly the withdraw rate won’t be as high-but still higher than the 4% rule.

[@AnswersFromJenesis]

Excellent presentation and analysis, David!

[@DavidMcKnight]

Thank you!

[@PureMagma]

Too bad Fisher is financially shielded against the U.S. Attorney General's office charging his company for Deceptive Trade Practices (like Truth in Advertising or even malfeasance...) I value your concise, knowledgeable explanations and am very grateful for your KZbin channel and your books!

[@DavidMcKnight]

My pleasure!

[@darbyheavey406]

Here’s David McKight’s SEC report: adviserinfo.sec.gov/individual/summary/3026936

[@garyhafer1282]

Thanks Dave. I want both! Annuities to provide a "paycheck" for life and a portion invested in the market to help outpace inflation long term. Work with someone that can help you address your #CashFlow #DebtManagement #ProperProtection #EmergencyFund #BuildingWealth and #PreservingWealth

[@DavidMcKnight]

Me too!

[@MoneyStrategiesSOULutions]

@@DavidMcKnight so IUL then right!

[@dmoon9037]

KF charges nosebleed AUM fees.

[@DavidMcKnight]

Indeed!

[@robertiola88]

Thank you for this Dave. So many of these "financial celebrities" make their charges and go unchallenged. Whether its in their advertising or when being interviewed by ill informed journalists, they make their claims with impunity. Annuities are a tool and when the right tool is used for the right situation, everybody is happy. Well done Sir.

[@dmoon9037]

@Robert Iola, I prefer the branding “financial clownsuits”

[@DavidMcKnight]

Spot on Robert!

[@richardpaul1678]

The insurance company makes a lot out of annuities. If giving up that return in return for absolute predictability floats your boat, then buy an annuity.

[@DavidMcKnight]

It’s a bond replacement.

[@johngill2853]

Time stamp 5:34 your assuming everyone should do Roth conversions and that is dangerous You should do Roth conversions if it makes sense for your situation only

[@DavidMcKnight]

Nope. I’m saying if you want to protect your lifetime income against higher taxes your annuity should have a Piecemeal Internal Roth Conversion feature so that you have the option of converting. I think it’s a stretch to interpret that segment as saying everyone should do a Roth conversion. Keep watching my videos and you’ll find lots of instances where I discuss when you should NOT do a Roth conversion.

[@rondelegge7260]

A few important things about Ken Fisher: ✅1) David M. Walker, a former U.S. comptroller general just fired Ken Fisher earlier this year for stock market underperformance. "They are not what they claim to be. They do NOT have performance-based fees despite the strong inference to the contrary from their ads. They did not come close the beating the market in the past year for me. Last week was a disaster for them," said Walker about Fisher Investments. (See link below) ✅2) Ken Fisher is a questionable character with a shaky moral code. "A Sexist Joke Cost Ken Fisher $4 Billion in Assets" per a Bloomberg report in Feb. 2020. (See link below) ✅3) CNBC reported that Fisher's sexist comments aren't the first time he's been caught doing this kind of shameful behavior. (See link below) ✅4) Fortune reported that Fisher Investments uses women employees for "window dressing" as part of its crisis management for dealing with Ken's hostile, post-sexist comments. (See link below) ✅5) Annuities aren't Ken Fisher's biggest problem. But in his bizarre world, he certainly seems to believe so. ✅6) If Ken Fisher was as obsessed about his hate for annuities as he was about his recent stock market performance, he wouldn't be losing clients like David M. Walker. ✅7) His late father Philip Fisher was a Wall Street legend and I'm a huge fan of dad. Common Stocks, Uncommon Profits is on my shelf. But I'm not so sure dad would be happy with Ken's shameful conduct if he were alive today. ✅8) Ken Fisher's billionaire status is proof that money still can't buy everything, especially class. REFERENCED WEB LINKS David M. Walker's Tweet about Fisher Investment's awful performance: twitter.com/DavidMWalker7/status/1518724499407003650?s=20&t=wN5HGjhFJnGSwW6A3Q5WGA Bloomberg's article about Ken Fisher's sexist comments: www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-02-07/a-sexist-joke-cost-ken-fisher-4-billion-in-assets-he-still-runs-121-billion#xj4y7vzkg CNBC's report on Ken Fisher's sexist comments: www.cnbc.com/2019/10/11/ken-fisher-inflames-financial-advisors-with-sexist-comments.html Fortune Ken Fisher Crisis Aims to Use Women Employees as Window Dressing fortune.com/2019/11/04/ken-fisher-comments-women/

[@DavidMcKnight]

Great insight Ron!

[@johngill2853]

Time stamp 3:52 Your ignoring inflation

[@DavidMcKnight]

Yes, the four percent rule adjusts for inflation. I treat this much more in depth in my book Tax-Free Income for Life where I discuss annuities with inflation adjustments.

[@johngill2853]

@@DavidMcKnight and historically the 4% rule leaves you with a large pot of money the end 4% was worse case scenario, that being said I'm using SPIA'S

[@DavidMcKnight]

@@johngill2853 smart.

[@DevonBism]

The truth? The truth is this is rant is very much skewed. The fact that you only speak of the positives and dismiss any negatives tells me everything I need to know. You don't address inflation at all, which is a huge downfall. And you can't come up with a reason someone would need the money? Are you serious? Never heard of an emergency and need the money? Spoken like a true insurance sales guy. Anyone reading this should do themselves a favor and continue to get educated. Never listen to anyone that only tells you all the positives and avoids telling the negatives. And always, follow the money...

[@DavidMcKnight]

None of your criticisms seem to line up with any of the points I made. I’m merely offering counterpoints to Fisher’s one-sided video which clearly had an agenda. Do me a favor and google Ken Fisher and Roth Conversion and see what you find. Then ask yourself how motivated Fisher is to have you do a Roth Conversion. Then ask yourself if Ken Fisher is really the type of guy who is interested in a fair and balance take on retirement strategy.

[@thewhyteshadow]

The 4% rule has to do with 4% at the start of withdrawals with increases for inflation each year, whereas immediate annuities do not increase with inflation. I don't necessarily have a problem with annuities for diversification, but you should be factual with your representations so that you do not lose credibility.

[@DavidMcKnight]

Are you saying there are no immediate annuities that adjust for inflation? You made the leap to misrepresentation rather quickly.

[@thewhyteshadow]

@@DavidMcKnightnot for the same cost as one that does not adjust for inflation. Obviously, all else being equal, an annuity that increases its payout overtime will be more expensive than an annuity that does not. Similarly, when accounting for the 4% rule, you are more likely to run out of money if withdrawals increase with inflation than if they don’t. I like your videos, that just seemed like a bit of an oversimplification like what you criticize others for in your critiques of their videos.

[@DavidMcKnight]

​​⁠thanks for your response. Sure, it’s not the same cost but I’ve looked at the pricing of inflation adjusted single premium immediate annuities extensively and it’s still far less expensive than living by the 4% rule. I don’t think I’ve done any misrepresenting on this video. I choose my words pretty carefully.

[@stricklandpilman2123]

It's my third month being retired now. And life hasn't been so difficult as I thought basically because I put my head down and made ways for other source of Income. I'm a huge fan of earning more money, and I think everyone should have a side hustle. Side hustling can allow you to earn that little bit of extra money that can help you achieve your financial goals faster - whether it's paying off student loans or saving for retirement.

[@DavidMcKnight]

Thanks for commenting.

[@johngill2853]

The original 4% being safest highest withdrawal rate is from historical data Those economic experts are guessing and opinions are like.... I do favor 3% myself but I'm being super conservative and that is a individual choice we must all make

[@DavidMcKnight]

Glad to see we agree on something John. 👍

[@Blublod]

No question about the fact that Fischer Investments are no fiduciary despite their insistence that they are, but the fact remains that annuities are definitely the wrong way to go if what you want to do is grow your money. The only way to keep the money grubbers’ hands out of your retirement savings is to educate yourself and DIY it.

[@DavidMcKnight]

People don’t utilize annuities as a stock market alternative. They utilize them to create a sustainable stream of income they can’t outlive or as a bond alternative. That’s it.

[@SoDamTuf]

I was trying to find examples of creepy Ken Fisher's weirdly graphicly violent language, and this was perfect! Looks like the whole company is creepy. Are they all zombies or something?

[@arinco6944]

Ken Fisher is a greedy fool. The fees he charges customers are outrageous. He cannot guarantee investment returns for his customers. I love the idea of the Roth IRA tax free lifetime income.

[@DavidMcKnight]

Yes! Makes a lot of sense!

[@raypalermo1603]

A tax free income lifetime is nice but you have to pay the tax on that money to uncle sam sooner or later.

[@philiptran617]

Annuities = high fees and high commission, and they do is taking your money to invest in stocks and bonds. People will be much better off investing in low cost stocks and bonds ETF or index funds.

[@DavidMcKnight]

Massively reductive take on a complex tool that Nobel laureates have been studying and vindicating for over four decades.

[@paulbrungardt9823]

Well said Phillip --- That nice salesman shows up at your home with $500 shoes, $2,000 suit and $ 66,000 care is there to take advantage of your ignorance of investing. Good Comment !

[@comingshortly]

Based on their hair alone I would not invest with Ken F or Doug Andrew

[@George-hl2xm]

I wouldn’t trust a annuity or Ken

[@DonBurch2011]

Huckster

[@DavidMcKnight]

Which part?

[@HungNguyen-se8dn]

Playing stock market is gambling. You know exactly how much you get with annuities!😂

[@DavidMcKnight]

But annuities give you a permission slip to let it rip in the market, especially if you have your lifestyle needs covered by said annuity.

[@raypalermo1603]

@@DavidMcKnight What is the average rate of return on an annuity? Inflation has averaged about 3.7 percent the last 5 years and prices for food and utilities is soaring so if you cant beat inflation you on a sinking ship taking on water.If you are making 5 percent ,you are actually making a whopping 1.7 percent.

[@Youknowwhoin2024]

Would rather take the advice of a billionaire

[@DavidMcKnight]

Nice!

[@ravbarring]

I think most people that watch his Television commercials and listen to his radio advertisements don’t realize how much it costs to market this way. Where does the money come from for these TV ads? Massive Fees….

[@DavidMcKnight]

Great point.