Hits & Misses
Folks occasionally ask my opinion on tools available in the financial world. Although I never endorse or recommend any specific annuity, bank or investment product, I will be happy to share my opinion on other services & products. I'm not getting paid a dime for any of these recommendations, but keep in mind these are only my opinions.

OK!	www.AnnuitySpecs.com is the FIRST and LAST resource you will ever need for indexed annuities. It provides clear and updated rates and specs on over 230 products. In addition, users can sort products by surrender charges, bonuses, commissions, rates, and other features. It will cost a producer $25 a month to subscribe to the service, if you are a MO or carrier there are multiple user agreements available. What you get is a place to find answers when you in competition, need to know what product is new and hot, or which annuity has a higher bonus, stronger minimum guarantee, or shorter surrender period.
	MCP Premium Suite Software, MCP Index Annuity Software, Maynard, Premium Producers Group To be blunt, I feel the software represents a poor value for the dollars charged.
OK!	www.bankrate.com tells you what rate the bank is paying for savings in your town. Every annuity competes with the bank, but the information on this site ensures you won't be blindsided.
	ATTGlobal Yahoo I had problems with their email system - first they arbitrarily installed a sorting service on my personal email account - without notifying me - that deleted hundreds of emails I needed. Second, they have a limit on how many emails you can send in a day - but they don't tell you that either. I spent over two hours on hold with their service department and they were rude and unresponsive. Although the ATT president apologized, the problem is still there.
OK!	Yahoo Finance Although ATT Yahoo can be bad Yahoo Finance is very, very good. In addition to current prices and values on all major indices the Historical Prices link lets you get index values from years past so you can draw your own hypothetical conclusions.
	Response Card Marketing Inc I've received multiple spam emails purportedly from Eric J Focht, National Sales Manager, , 2 E Blackwell St Suite 29, Dover, NJ 07801. The way you stop spammers is to refuse to do business with them and file a complaint with the FTC at SPAM@UCE.GOV
OK!	The Economist You won't ever see Paris Hilton on the cover, but I feel this weekly news magazine provides a far broader and more balanced view of the U.S. and the world than other weeklies. However, the reason I keep renewing is every so often they will do pieces on finance, investments and consumer trends that have made me aware of new markets or corrected misconceptions on what I thought I knew.
OK!	International Red Cross You don't even get a tax deduction, but the International Red Cross helps send doctors to Darfur, food to the hungry, and tries to give the world's poor drinkable water. I just gave $500 to help people...why else are we here?