Today, consumers must shoulder much of the responsibility for managing their own financial futures. They need self-directed options and self-directed ways to accumulate funds for their futures and to safely and efficiently distribute those funds during their retirement. For these purposes, the insurance industry offers a unique vehicle: the annuity.

This course offers a thorough orientation to annuities and their application for long-term asset accumulation and income distribution. The course explains the design and function of these unique products as well as their benefits, costs, and limitations. It examines how annuities are funded and how they grow. Moreover, the course explores the use of annuities for retirement income distribution and examines how these unique products are taxed. The course concludes with an in-depth look at the suitability and disclosure requirements that attend to the sale and placement of these products and explores the needs for which they are and are not appropriate.

• demonstrate an understanding of the purpose and application of annuities
• describe the basic types of annuity products
• explain the operation and function of fixed, indexed, and variable annuities
• articulate how an annuity’s product features can support and advance various client objectives
• demonstrate an understanding of how annuities are taxed
• cite the suitability requirements that apply to the recommendation and sale of annuities