Insurer

This discussion topic was originally posted in the form of a comment.

The general topic is how annuities compare to bonds.  It is a natural question since both annuities and bonds provide owners with fixed payments.

We moved the comment here so that it can surface to a larger audience and hopefully generate further discussion and comments.

As noted below, the conceptual basis for this content is based on a great paper written a few years ago by Jason Scott--the Director of Retiree Research at Financial Engines.

The original post is as follows:

A story from the UK confirms that consumer awareness of annuities is quite possibly the lowest of any consumer financial services product.

An interesting paper (click here to read) from a a Milliman consultant on

Another very interesting article from Leslie Scism of the Wall Street Journal (article can be viewed by clicking here).

A continuation of the discussion thread on low fee annuities that can be viewed by clicking here.

The Journal article discusses variable annuities and the impact that relatively inexpensive ETFs are having on product development.