You need the real facts behind variable annuities. Getting the right information the first time will save you thousands in the end.

When it comes to buying an annuity who are you going to trust? The person selling it to you, or a person who has no vested interest in whether or not you buy an annuity at all? Getting the and right and accurate information is what I am all about. It does not matter to me if you buy an annuity. I am not paid by the insurance industry.

I put no contract ahead of another. Even if I think some features on one annuity are not as good as another company's, it does not mean that the annuity is horrible and you should never buy it. It may mean that that annuity fits a specific need and may not be right for everyone, but for the right person that annuity can be perfect.

The mainstream media has gone overboard on reporting that all annuities are bad and that sales practices are out of control. They will take a specific annuity contract, label it bad, and then apply it to the whole industry. They also take a specific sales practice, that may be distasteful, or in some cases illegal, and make it sound as if the whole industry is selling annuities in that fashion. I am here to say that is not true, there are always bad apples, but the vast majority of annuity agents sell them ethically. Otherwise this industry would not be selling over 120 billion dollars per year in new sales.

Many of these publications, that condem variable annuities are bad, derive their revenue from mutual fund companies, mostly no-load, and not from insurance companies. Even though this might be just a coincidence, it seems suspect. So I pose the question: What if insurance companies pony up some money, and advertise through these publications, would they change their tune on how bad annuities are? Who knows, maybe I am off base with that thought, but I call it the way I see it.

I also look at no-load fund companies who criticize variable annuities and yet they sell them, quite actively, if I do say so myself. The funny part about it is that the products they sell are single fund products and are sub-par. Most of the no-load companys variable annuities offer no benefits at all, other than tax deferral. To top it off no-load mutual fundsl criticize other variable annuity provider's, even though they proactively provide their funds in these products.

Many no-load mutual fund companies also have a dedicated sales staff to boost the sales of their no-load funds inside of variable annuity contracts. These positions are referred to as "wholesaling to wholesalers" positions. All they really do is offer marketing support and entertainment, like dinners and drinking events, at regional and national events for the insurance companies. It seems counter productive to me, or at the very least they are speaking out of both sides of their mouth.

You have good products and bad products. You have good publications that are unbiased, like this one. Then you have others who only see the glass half empty. More importantly, there are great annuities and some that, well, aren't so great and this is where "The Annuity Report" comes in. I am here to tell you exactly how these products work. I rate each contract and tell you which benefits and annuity contracts are the better ones, for the masses of course.

Again, who are you going to trust? Someone who wants to just sell you an annuity and will receive a commission? How about a third, independant, party who has no vested interest if you buy a variable annuity or not? I think the answer is clear. Having a third parties unbiased opinion is the best way to go. It is amazing what happens when someone is not influenced by receiving a commission, you tend to get better, straight answers.

No one has ever taken on this challenge before, and with good reason. Would you spend upwards of 100 hours to research all the annuities in the market? Would you read all of the prospectuses and call all of the companys to find out how everything works? Would your broker or agent do that? I think it is clear that the answer is "NO". I have done the research for you and am dedicated to bringing you the best information available. For the first time you can compare, research and evaluate variable annuities at your own pace, with no sales pressure. Get the facts, don't get taken for a ride. Only at www.annuityiq.com

Scott DeMonte is a widely respected expert in variable annuities. Scott has worked as both a financial advisor and as an executive for 2 of the best selling variable annuity contracts sold in America.

With over 12 years experience in the financial services industry, Scott decide to start his own company, http://www.annuityiq.com. Through his expertise he evaluates and rates variable annuity contracts.

By educating both brokers and consumers, Scott