Annuity Giants - Training & Consulting

Name: Annuity Giants - Training & Consulting
Address: 3890 Charlevoix Road Suite 220, Petoskey, MI, 49770, US
Telephone: +19899000509
Price range: $$

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Annuity Giants - Training & Consulting

Tracy Lownsberry (Founder), is a top advisor who focuses on leading with education.

This page is dedicated to providing education and consulting to Insurance Agents & Financial Advisors regarding the proper use of Annuities inside of a retirement plan.

08/24/2026

⏰Ready For An Alarming Result? Pay Attention To This One!⏰

I just analyzed 225 indexes from a current indexed annuity index report. 85% of them are Volatility-Controlled Indexes.

VCI's are designed normally with some type of equity index internally, but also have a rebalancing metric internally to push more weighting into cash or bonds to control overall swings in options cost... not necessarily increase returns, or even risk adjusted return.

This can reduce the price of the option and come with big participation rates or caps that look great in an illustration... but doesn't actually move the return needle in a better position... quite the opposite.

And these things are BABIES. 54% launched in the last 5 years. A third launched in the last 3. Only 19% have 10+ years of real, live history.

- This means any product using them is showing a back-casted return sequence that is essentially a guess as to what the investment bank offering THINKS it would have done.

I broke all 225 into 2 categories:
1. Equity Indexes
2. Volatility Controlled Indexes

Ready for some insane results?

Last 1 year average:
- Equity Indexes -> 23.3%
- VC Indexes -> 4.6%

Last 5 year average:
- Equity Indexes -> 8.9%
- VC Indexes -> 1.7%

Since inception average:
- Equity Indexes -> 8.5%
- VC Indexes -> 3.2%

Wow... no wonder policy holders are pi**ed off at their crappy performance when the market has been killing it.

So why do agents/advisors use these?

A VCI can come with a participation rate of 100%-200% on average.

That sales pitch looks like this:
"If the index makes 10%, you make 20%" ... but in reality they are getting 200% of 1.7%, when cap rates on equity indexes are 8% - 12%, and some equity indexes coming with par rates of 50% to 90%.

Don't be fooled... stick to equities inside of FIA's & RILA's.

If you want more analysis like this, hop over to www.theannuitygiants.com and check out our memberships.
- $99/mo for EVERYTHING.

No Contracts Required
No Recruiting
No Long Term Commitments
(only month to month unless you want the 1yr discount)

Use code "AG2026" at checkout for a FREE 30-day trial!

08/19/2026

⚠️Annuity Producers Need To Listen To This⚠️

If you offer any type of Deferred Income Annuity, you could be making this crucial error.

Set The Proper Expectation!

08/17/2026

😱 FAT BONUS ANNUITIES NEED A DIET
Fixed Indexed Annuities touting a 10 %, 15 %, even 20 %+ Day 1 bonus are not charity from the insurance carrier... why do do people get fooled so easily?

The Hidden Price Tag 💸
1. Bonus Fee – Many carriers slap on a bonus charge that bite into that account value and any future growth as well.

2. Option Budget Shrinkage – Pay for the bonus, get less cash to buy index options → lower caps & pars → worse long-term performance. HELLO?

3. Surrender Sentence – Enjoy that 10-15 year lock-up while your “free money” flat-lines. Don't forget Surrender Charges, bonus recovery, Market Value Adjustment, etc (if you try to walk away).

Worst Pitch I Keep Hearing 🤦‍♂️
“Use the bonus to offset Roth-conversion taxes!”
News flash: a 20 % account credit on an account does not offset the 20% (or more) your client paid to the IRS.

Math:
$100,000 Roth Converted @ 20% tax = $80,000
$80,000 + 20% bonus = $96,000

You’re recouping SOME of it, and now you’re handcuffed to a dud for a decade and you will find that the 10 year period has yielded way less than a non-bonus option.

When a Bonus Might Make Sense
🔹 Paired with a strong income rider (higher payout factors, real value).
🔹 Small, short-term bonus that ejects a client from an even worse contract, (think triage, not treasure hunt)

Anything else? It’s a gimmick...pure and simple.

Sell REAL value: solid accumulation rates, transparent fees, and guarantees that actually matter. Leave the candy coated bonuses alone.... please for the love of God.

08/13/2026

Using an Indexed Annuity for any type of accumulation can have great benefits, but you may find yourself in hot water if you don't understand this very important detail... 😥😥

An Index has multiple ways it posts returns, such as:

1️⃣. Total Return: The return an index captures WITH dividends reinvested.

2️⃣. Price Return: The return an index captures WITHOUT dividends reinvested.

3️⃣. Excess Returns: The return an index captures WITHOUT dividends reinvested, and (many) WITHOUT the Risk Free Rate (Normally Treasury Rate).

Most Annuities with volatility controlled indexes are EXCESS return.

📊 This could be a difference of a 5yr return average of 12% vs 7% when comparing Total Return & Excess Return.

So when you are looking up the returns of these indexes, make sure to select the correct dropdown, as seen in the photo below! 👇

08/07/2026

Are you using Fixed Indexed Annuities❓

If so... how are you setting their expectations to a client❓❓

📽️ Watch this video to understand how the Hybrid approach may be killing your practice.

07/31/2026

❗❗Stop Hating On Annuities ❗ ❗

I understand there are a lot of products that are unattractive... or maybe even egregiously horrendous.....but you have to stop sleeping on the one's that do it right.

🙌 They are so freaking good ya'll!

Past 1 Year Anniversary Statement Below 👇

▫️ $200k grows to $214,880 (NET of income rider fee)
▫️ $18,992 /yr in lifetime income available today
▫️ No market loss
▫️ Current value is the new floor against any market downturns
▫️ Does not have to grow the account value a single penny and will still grow the income by 8% yearly if delayed

How can an advisor possibly say "No Annuities Are Good"...

Poppycock I say! 🤡🤡

07/29/2026

... and why Annuities dominate. 🏆

I hear the argument that Indexed Annuities are designed to give the same return as a Bond because they are essentially being funded by a Bond 🗣️

🤔 Therefore you should just buy a Bond and skip the surrender penalty.

1st lets set the tone with some clarity:

🔹 Lets compare an FIA designed for pure Accumulation. No fees / riders with costs.
🔹 Lets use an Equity Index, not a VCI.
🔹 Lets make sure we are talking about the purchase date of the product, being in a higher interest rate environment

🔸 Lets use a Bond Index, not an individual Bond.
🔸 Follows mostly A rated Primary Bond markets
🔸 Sprinkle in some corporate is fine

2nd, In any period in the last 30 years, has a Bond Index averaged above 5% ?

Lets take a look at 2022 to 2026. 📅
(I wont even count the -13% in 2022)

Bonds have average around 4.66% for 2023,24,25. YTD flat. ➖

If I had a 6% cap on the S&P 500, I would have hit that all 3 years. 🎯

Current budgets are buying 9% + 🚀

Back in 2023 you could buy 10% + 🚀🚀

3rd...Are we comparing apples to apples?

No, but only from a liquidity standpoint.

If you have liquidity taken care of, it isn't a problem to have a surrender period.

The Indexed Annuity is tracking Equities because we can do that without risk of loss.

This places it in the same category of a Bond.

The reason we dont use an FIA to track Bonds is because we want the best long term return, and equities are the clear winner. 🏆

4th...
The reason people diversify away from equities is not because they want a lower return, they just want lower risk.

An FIA gives exactly that when positioned the right way.

How many FIAs would I use as a Safe Growth Alternative?
.. maybe 5 or 6 out of hundreds available today.

Final... 👇
Do your digging folks: 🔎

Reputable carrier with good solvency that is tracked on metrics that are far beyond ratings.
Good rates on equity indexes 📈
Good rate integrity ✅
Shorter term surrender duration ⏱️

Anyone want to argue about that?

07/23/2026

When To Use A Bonus Annuity 🫨

Answer - Most of the time never... 🚫
.. but here is a real life situation I found myself in 3 years ago.

☆ 3 years ago I replaced a 10yr MYGA at 3.00%, with a 10yr FIA with 10% bonus and a 3.20% fixed offering (as well as some Index options).

The reason? I saw a pretty big problem.

This client was withdrawing $70,000 every year from her account.
She had $960,000 total.

After doing the math, by the time the MYGA was up, the value would be 487,000 and she would not even be 70yo yet 😬

The real issue was the longevity risk with the big withdrawal being paired with a lower fixed rate.

There was no lifetime income options that would take the replacement.

By the time she would be able to get out without penalty, it may have been too late to save.

There is just no way to try and position $487k to generate 70k for a 70yo without massive risks of outliving it.

🤢 That is a 14.5% yearly withdrawal at that time.

I decided I had a solution 💡💡

It had a $60,000 surrender penalty to get out. So I used a 10% bonus to get a little extra and bring her up to $1mil even.

I then paired that with the 3.2% fixed account for 50% of the allocation and 2 Index accounts for the other 50%.

💥💥 This last year was her 3rd year. She has sustained her withdrawals and is currently on track to maintain the account value long enough to get out in 7 years and purchase a lifetime income option.

What has saved this account is using the Indexes to squeak out a bit more interest to sustain the bigger withdrawals ‼️

I am not saying to do this... and I am not saying Bonus Annuities should be counted on to return 7% + ....

BUT, it is a lesson on choosing good Indexes and sticking to it.

Just make sure to explore all options and all solutions and problem solve appropriately ✅✅

07/22/2026

‼️ Annuity Sales Training ‼️

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07/21/2026

In the last few months I have noticed some alarming things happen...

Here are a few:
1. Annuity talking heads shielding and defending insurance carriers and bad practices, instead of sticking up for things that keep consumers in the "know".

2. A lot of Advisors exploring Annuities as a Buffered Accumulation vehicle to replace Bonds / Indexes and even some equities in their entirety.

3. Carriers coming out with products that have lowered commission rates so they can pad the options budgets for better and more consistent returns.

4. Innovation around designs and pricing of FIA's that are going to change what you thought you knew about Annuities.

5. Carrier balance sheets and ratings being exposed for what they have been hiding for years: Higher risk than anyone predicted.

If you are not seeing this, you need to open your eyes.

🙈 Stop following people that only want to trash Annuities.
🙊 Stop following people that talk about Annuities like the 2nd coming.

There is Bad... there is Good...

Stay tuned.

Address

3890 Charlevoix Road Suite 220
Petoskey, MI
49770

Telephone

+19899000509

Website

http://www.theannuitygiants.com/

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