The number of mass affluent investors using an independent financial planner is roughly equivalent to the number using a full service broker.

A recent survey of 1,498 households with assets between $100,000 and $1,000,000 reveals that 22% use an independent financial planner as their advisor.

The number of mass affluent households using full service brokers is also 22%.

The number of households using registered investment advisors (RIA) is 6%--a decrease of 4% from the previous survey in October.

Source: Financial Planning

NAPFA is the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors.

NAPFA membership consists of financial advisors who provide comprehensive financial planning services on a fee-only basis.

NAPFA member David B. Jacobs serves as a representative for this interview.  David serves on the committee for both the School of Retirement and the School of Risk Management for NAPFA University.

Annuity Digest: Please tell us a bit about NAPFA and how the organization serves financial services consumers.

Henry "Bud" Hebeler is a former Boeing executive who has been running a retirement planning company for over twenty years.

His company, Analyze Now (www.analyzenow.com), provides information and tools that help individuals with retirement planning.  The company has helped thousands of people and is well respected among journalists and industry observers.

A basic checklist from a top financial planner is worth a look if you are trying to understand the potential fees and expenses associated with annuities:

The author considers the following:

1. Annual contract charges
2. Mortality and expenses charge (M&E Fee)
3. Asset management fees
4. Surrender charge

Source: CNBC

Full Story

One of the nation's top financial planners is bearish on the recent upsurge in immediate annuity sales.

An advocate of maintaining options and flexibility with retirement planning, this financial advisor sees immediate annuities as too restrictive for many financial plans.

In contrast to the views on immediate annuities, longevity insurance or longevity annuities are discussed in light of the income and asset allocation options they create for retirees: