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Crediting Methods
3 Card Monte Hypothetical (9/08)
Annual Reset Reset
(1/01)
Basic Concepts (5/00)
Cap Forward Not Loss (7/04)
Crediting Methods of Annuitus Indexia (11/00)
EIA Renewals & Reality (6/99)
GLWB Comparison (7/08)
Humble Plea to Carriers  (2/03)

Making A Horse Race Out Of It
(1/11)

Rainbow Method (5/08)

Recent Averaging Returns Reflect 2010 Meandering
(5/11)

Which Crediting Method Works Best In A Bear Market? (9/09)

Certificates of Deposit
A Bank Derivative Is Called A CD (4/00)
Annuities & FDIC  (11/02)
Bank Failure Chart (8/03)
Bank & Annuity Carrier Failure Chart
(1/09)
Can You Top 1%
(11/03)
CDs Also Have Bearish Moments  (6/01)
CD Disclosure (2/00)
CD Rates Climb & Annuities Stall (4/05)

FDIC Bested By Annuities On Unprotected Account Balances
(1/12)

FDIC Fund Bottoms (9/09)
How Safe Are State Guaranty Funds?
(3/10) 
I Bond Yields Are Zero (5/09) 
Index Annuities & CDs (2/99)
Indexed CDs Haven't Caught Fire (12/99)
9 Failed Banks So Far
(8/08)
1 Year Annuities Instead Of CDs (9/01)
140 Failed Banks in 2009 (1/10)
Realities Of Risk - CDs & Annuities  (5/04) 
Safety - Bank & Annuity Reality (7/06)
Savings Bond Revolution (5/05)
$5.9 Trillion Earning 0.5%
(11/11)

6 Failed Banks In January (2/09)

Education
And Your Stockbroker Predicts 6” Snow For The 4th Of July (1/10)
Annual Resets Reset Annually (1/01)
Annuity Elements - Indices (10/03)
Annuity Elements - The O Word
(11/03)
Annuity P.U.P.I.L.S. (/1/10)
The Cycle of Hope, Fear & Greed (6/98)
A Fistful Of Annuities (5/02)
A Primer: Equity Index Universal Life (4/00)
A Primer: Why Participation Rates Go Up & Down (3/00)
A Primer: Why Stocks Go Up & Down (4/01)
Autobiography (6/06)
Basic Concepts (5/00)
Compound vs. Simple Interest (9/00)
Financial Math (8/06)
How Long $100,000 Lasts
(6/08)
How Safe Are State Guaranty Funds?
(3/10) 
Illusion Of Validity (8/07)
Index-Link Power (5/05)
Is it Better To Be Saved By Luck Or Killed By Knowledge? (1/09)
It's Not A Surrender Charge (3/01)
Keeping Pace With Inflation
(10/09)
Leverage Effect Of Options (8/99)
The Lost Decade of the Stock Market (12/08)
Mathematical Marvels (6/02)
Would You Rather Have All Of A Loss Or Some Of A Gain (8/09)
Your Own Personal Price Index (5/07)

General
2001 Tax Act (Special Edition 01)
2002 - Financial Counselors Will Make Money (1/02)
2003 - Financial Counselors Will Have To Work Harder
(1/03) 
2004 - A Better Year (1/04)
2006 - Uneasy Year (1/06)
Annual Inflation Rate Chart  (7/03)
Annus Horribilus QED (7/03)
A Perfect Storm Of Bad Writing (7/09)
A Symmetry of Sentences (11/04)
Behaving Like Consumers (10/02)
Bully About Life (5/06)
By Any Other Name (12/02) 
Compendium Facts
(10/04)
Consumer Assumptions
  (2/03)
Consumer Federation Confronted On Unsupported FIA Allegations
(6/11)
Consumers Want Index Annuities
(3/98)
Court Ruling May Affect VA & VUL 1035 Exchanges
(2/11)
Don't Hang The Spammer (10/03)
Easy To Predict (4/08)
Equity Index Superlatives (2/01)
End of 2004 Market Overview (12/04)
Extrapolation  (9/02)
Fatal Accident Service  (7/02)
Golden State Mutual In Conservatorship (10/09)
The Green Annuity (8/07)
Hope Is Defined (8/09)
How To Eliminate Income Taxes (3/03)
I Hate PowerPoint (12/01)
Incompetence (6/06)
Index Annuity Commission Rates (12/01)

Index Annuity Industry Continues To Lose The Media Battle
(8/10)

Insurance Co.s Gain IRA Market Share  (9/02) 
Insurance Quotations (3/01) 
It’s A Time For Calming Consumers (10/08)
A Lack of Morals
(11/06)
Mother Was Right (8/05)
My Full Disclosure (12/04)
Not Index Annuities (12/99)
Overconfidence (7/06)
Postmarked (9/04)
A Reporter's Guide To Fixed Annuities (8/02)
Retirement Assets Are 40% Of Total U.S. Household Assets (9/07)
Return Comparison - Total Return vs Annual Reset
(2/11)
Savings Bonds Are Terrible (5/09)

Senior Market Stats (10/04)
Songs To Sell By  (7/02)
Sounds of Summer (7/05)
Spring Holiday (5/05)
To Earn More Be Manly (8/03)
Training The Trainer (6/99)
Truth At Acute Angles (1/05)
The Ubiquitous Paradigms of Dialogue Are Pejorative (1/99)

Indices
2002 Index Changes (1/03)
2005 Gains & Losses (1/06)

A Reset Approach To S&P 500 
(2/10)

Annuity Elements - Indices (10/03)
From Peak to Valley (10/03)
The Growth Of Multiple Indices  (09/01)
Other Indices (8/00))
The S&P 500 Isn't The Only Index (2/00)

IRA
Banks Are Losing IRAs (4/98)
New Minimum Distribution Guidelines (3/01)
Where The IRA Money Is (10/04)

Interest Concepts
The Bear Market Ended April 4, 2001 (5/01)
Bear Market (10/01)
Bear Markets - It's Now or Later (5/01)
Bears & Bulls In Sheep Clothing (1/03)
Case Of The Invisible Annuity  (11/04)
Compound vs. Simple Interest
(9/00)
Consumer Assumptions  (2/03)
Economic Probability Models (1/99)
Economic Superlatives (2/01)
Fixed Annuity Safety Update (10/04)
How Safe Are State Guaranty Funds?
(3/10) 
Index Annuities Beat Up Bond Funds & Banks (4/02)
Index Annuities In A 7% World (1/02)
Index Annuities Instead of Bonds (11/99)
Index Annuities Instead of Split-Funding (3/98)
Index Or Variable Annuities (12/02)
Does A VA With A GLWB Make Fixed Annuities Obsolete? (7/07)
Investing Through The Rear View Mirror (8/03)
Investment Ads - Give Them "H" (11/98)
Investment Facts & Figures (2/00)
Market's Been Down So Long It's Up (7/02)
Market Stress & Diversification (12/00)  
Natural Laws  (9/02)
Note to Client (7/02)
Past Bear Market Charts   (7/02)
Pharaoh Finance (3/03)
Predicting The Past  (11/02)
A Primer: Why Stocks Go Up & Down (4/01)
Protect Consumers From Themselves
(1/04)
Reinvested Dividends & Index Annuities
(11/03)
Risk, Forecasting & Models (9/00)
Risk & Uncertainty (4/04)
Savings Bond Revolution (5/05)
Supercharged Fixed Annuities (6/02)
Unnatural Laws (9/03)
VA and FIA Realities (6/04)
VA Principal Protection  (7/03)
Vanishing Safe Money Place (12/04)
2000 Year In Review (1/01)

Life Insurance
A Primer: Equity Index Universal Life (4/00)
Equity Index Life Insurance  (6/01)
Equity Index Life Insurance Sales (6/00)
NY Mandates Showing Dividends On FIA/IUL (12/08)
Profile: Equity Index Life Insurance (7/99)

Market Conduct
115 Securities Complaints For Each Annuity One
(12/11)
2007 Index Annuity Complaints Held Steady (4/08)
3 Card Monte Hypothetical (9/08)
Agent Expectations (5/99)
An NASD Fishing Trip (2/05)
And So The Hype Resurfaces (3/04)
Balancing Client Expectations (3/98)
Broken Models (12/05)
Commonwealth Cowboy (12/05)
Complaints - 2010 Securities & Annuities Complaints
(6/11)
Complexity Requires Building Realistic Expectations (1/02)
Consumer Federation Confronted On Unsupported FIA Allegations
(6/11)
Customer Confusion & Expectations (3/99)
Customer Suitability Issues (10/00)
Disclosure (3/03)
Ethics Wars (2/05)
Fixed Index Annuities  (11/01)
Index Annuity Customer Complaints (5/05)
Index Annuity Complaints Up Sharply (5/06)
Index Annuity Complaints Skyrocket (4/07)
Index Annuity Complaints Steady (4/08)

Index Annuity Complaints Lower (4/09)
Index Annuity Complaints Sharply Lower
(4/10)
Index Annuity Complaints Plummet
(4/11)

Index Annuity Training & Suitability  (2/03)
Investment Advice & Agent Attacks
(1/07) 
A Marketing Fable (9/04)
NAIC Senior Suitability Model (4/03)
NAIC On Senior Suitability (8/03)
Realistic Expectations - Avoiding Future Problems (11/00)
Regulators Don't Like Bonus VAs (10/00)
Senior Protection (12/03)
Should You Become A RIA?
(8/08)
What Is An Insurance Agent?  (6/03)

Participation Rates
Better Rates Ahead (4/06)
Forecast: Rising Participation Rates (8/99)
Index Participation Rate Indicator (1/02)
Interest Rates (10/02)
Outlook Is For Modestly Rising Rates (5/02)
Rates Will Be Heading Down (2/01)
Where & When Is The Bottom (11/98)

Products
EIA Post Mortem (7/00)
An Innovative Annuity That's Simple - Conseco (9/00)
Can FIA & VA Pricing Complement (6/05)
ING SmartDesign Index Annuity 6/02
First EIA Linked To Dow - American Equity (6/99)
Fixed Annuity Safety
(7/04) 
GLWB Comparison (7/08)
Low Interest Rates Force Changes  (2/03)
Minimum Guaranteed Return Chart (10/04)
New Products (4/99)
Products Have Been Pulled Before (6/09)
Product Innovation 2002  (11/02)
Product Innovation 2004 (9/04)
Reaching The Stars - Keyport (3/00)

VA Carrier Seeds in the FIA Garden
(10/11)

Regulatory
88% Of Public Comments Against Proposed Rule151A (9/08)
2008 Insurance & Annuity Complaints (11/09)
An Alternative To FINRA Regulation (2/09)

Annuity Regulatory Changes In The Wind
(4/06)
ARC Finds Momentum Fading for Interstate Compact (12/07)
Awaiting The SEC Decision On Equity Index Products (5/98)
Circle The Wagons (3/05)
Congress Declares FIAs Are Not Securities
(7/10)
Court Action May Stay 151A Enactment (7/09)
Court Cancels 151A
(7/10)
Crossing The Line
(10/05)
The Devil's In The Lack of Details (8/05)
Federal Office of Insurance Oversight
(6/08)
FINRA Announces A New Rule Every 3 Business Days
(8/08)
Fixed Index Annuities (3/04)
Florida Governor Signs “Safeguard Our Seniors” Act  (6/10)
Index Annuity Buyers Guide (4/98)
MOs Are Feeling Effects of NASD 05-50 (10/06)
NASD Face Slap (9/05)
NASD Power Grab (5/06)
NASD - Ruling By Intimidation (7/05)
NASD Web Page Skew(er)s FIAs  (2/02)
NY Mandates Showing Dividends On FIA/IUL (12/08)

NY Agents Must Disclose Compensation
(12/10)
Registered Producers Impacted (2/06)
SEC Halts Treating FIAs As Securities Until 2 Years Past Whenever (12/09)
SEC Proposal 151a
(7/08)
SEC Sued By Coalition to Reverse 151A (2/09)
Senior Suitability Reg Passes (10/03)
A Series 6 Does Not Qualify You (2/06)

Returns
2003 Annual Index Gains (1/04)
2003 a Mixed Bag of Returns  (2/04)
June 2004 One Year Returns (8/04)
5 Year Index Annuity Returns (4/02)
5 Year Index Annuity Returns
(11/03)
5 Year Index Annuity Returns (11/04) 
5 Year Index Annuity Returns (11/05)
5 Year Index Annuity Returns
(11/06)
5 Year Index Annuity Returns (11/07)
5 Year Index Annuity Returns
(11/08)
5 Year Index Annuity Returns
(11/09)
5 Year Index Annuity Returns
(11/10)
5 Year Index Annuity Returns
(11/11)
2007 Index Annuity Returns (1/08)
2017 Before Investors Recover from 2008 Bear Market
(10/10)
A Quasi-Hypo Look at 2006 Returns (2/07)
A Year Of Zero Returns
  (11/01)
Day In Not Time In Determined 2000 Returns
(1/01)
The End Of Hypotheticals (4/05)
EIAs - A Modern Fable (5/00)
EIAs & The S&P 500 (5/99)
EIA Renewals & Reality (6/99)
FIAs Average 8.7%? Interest (12/01)
Fixed Annuities Are Competitive With Taxable Bond Mutual Funds
(2/08)

Fixed Index Annuities  (11/01)
GLWB Comparison
(7/08)
High Point Term Cages The Bear (4/02)
Index Annuities Beat Mutual Funds  (5/03)
Index Annuities Beat Up Bond Funds & Banks (4/02)
Index Annuity Performance - 1998  (2/99)
Index Annuity Performance - 1997 (2/98)
Index Annuity Performance 6/98-6/99 (8/99)
Index Annuity Returns - The Best & Worst
(8/07)
Lo, and Volatility Begat Volatility (10/00)
Mass Women's Bar Needs To Take A Math Class (9/08)
Methodology & Percentage Of Gain (7/04)
Monthly Cap Forward (7/04)
Most Index Annuities Posting Zero Returns (5/01)
Performance Benchmarks (8/00)
Overall Index Annuity Returns Are Strong (6/01)
Reaching The Stars (3/00)
Real Returns 2010-2011
(8/11)
Renewal Rate Full Disclosure (10/04)
Renewal Rate Integrity (4/01)
Return Drought Ends in July (8/03)
Returns - Past & Present (1/00)
Sagging Bond Yields Pressure Rates  (10/06)
Should You Ever Re-Enter An EIA?  (8/01)
The Summer The Returns Returned (9/03)
Though The Road Is Rocky (10/99)
VA and FIA Realities (6/04)
Welcome Back To 1998 (11/01)

Sales
All time Index Annuity Carrier Sales Leaders   (3/08)
All Deferred Annuity Sales Chart 2003-2008
(10/08)
Another Record Year For EIA Sales
(4/00)
Beware A Nasty Spring (4/01)
Buyer Manipulation (1/06)
1st Quarter EIA Sales Level  (6/01)
MOs Are Feeling Effects of NASD 05-50 (10/06)
Record 2002 Sales (3/03)
Registered Sales Fizzle (5/03)
Second Quarter Sales Dip (9/00)
Second Quarter EIA Sales Set Record  (9/01)
Third Quarter Sales Are Down (12/00)
Third Quarter Sales Up 31% (12/01)
Top Selling Index Annuity Carriers (4/04)
Total Deferred Annuity Sales Breakdown 03-09
(3/10)
Quarterly Index Annuity Sales  Sales (4/01) 
1997 EIA Sales Over $3 Billion (2/98)
1998 EIA Sales Over $4.2 Billion (3/99) 
1999 EIA Sales Over $5 Billion (3/00)
2000 Index Annuity Sales (3/01)
2001 Index Annuity Sales (3/02)
2002 1st Quarter Index Annuity Sales (6/02)
2002 2nd Quarter Index Annuity Sales (9/02)
2002 3rd Quarter Index Annuity Sales (12/02)
2003 1st Quarter Index Annuity Sales (6/03)
2003 2nd Quarter Index Annuity Sales (9/03) 
2003 3rd Quarter Index Annuity Sales (12/03)
2003 4th Quarter Index Annuity Sales (4/04)
2004 1st Quarter Index Annuity Sales (6/04)
2004 2nd Quarter Index Annuity Sales (9/04)
2004 3rd Quarter Index Annuity Sales (12/04)
2004 4th Quarter Index Annuity Sales  (3/05)
2005 First Quarter Sales Dip (6/05)
2005 Second Quarter Index Annuity Sales (9/05)
2005 Third Quarter Index Annuity Sales (12/05)
2005 Fourth Quarter Index Annuity Sales (3/06)
2006 First Quarter Index Annuity Sales (6/06)
2006 2nd Quarter Index Annuity Sales (9/06)
2006 3rd Quarter Index Annuity Sales (12/06)
2006 4th Quarter Index Annuity Sales (3/07)
2007 1st Quarter Index Annuity Sales (6/07)
2007 2nd Quarter Index Annuity Sales (9/07)
2007 3rd Quarter Index Annuity Sales (12/07)
2007 4th Quarter Index Annuity Sales (3/08)
2007 All Annuities Sales Chart (4/08)
2008 1st Quarter Index Annuity Sales
(6/08)
2008 2nd Quarter Index Annuity Sales (9/08)
2008 3rd Quarter Index Annuity Sales (12/08)
2008 4th Quarter Index Annuity Sales (3/09)
2008 All Annuities Sales Chart (5/09)
2009 1st Quarter Index Annuity Sales (6/09)
2009 2nd Quarter Index Annuity Sales (9/09)
2009 3rd Quarter Index Annuity Sales (12/09)
2009 4th Quarter Index Annuity Sales
(3/10)
2010 1st Quarter Index Annuity Sales
(6/10)
2010 2nd Quarter Index Annuity Sales (9/10) 
2010 3rd Quarter Index Annuity Sales
(12/10)
2010 4th Quarter Index Annuity Sales
(3/11)
2011 1st Quarter Index Annuity Sales
(6/11)
2011 2nd Quarter Index Annuity Sales
(9/11)
2011 3rd Quarter Index Annuity Sales
(12/11)

Sales Skills
A Minnesota Winter Last 9 Months (8/04)
A Reason To Believe (8/04)
And So The Greed Resurfaces (2/04) 
Agent As A Search Engine (5/99)
Annuities & FDIC  (11/02)
Annuity Buying - Completing A Journey (12/06)
Blatant Benefit Of Annuities (8/04)
Client Needs & EIAs (10/99)
CPAs Are A Source Of Clients (11/04)
Crossing The Line (10/05)
Do You Like Me? (6/05)
EIAs - A Modern Fable (5/00)
EIA Stories (7/00)
EIA Targets (10/00)
The 8 Minute Performance (2/06)
FIA Strategies For Reps   (7/02)
Fixed Annuity Competitive Advantages (6/98)
Goldilocks & Modern Portfolio Theory  (10/01)
Guest Commentary (1/04)
Heroes Needed (2/04)
Honest Hype (4/05)
Index Annuity Myth #1 (1/05)
Index Annuity Myth #2 (2/05)
Index Annuity Myths #3 & #4 (3/05)
Keep Some Gains (2/00)
Low Opportunity Costs (3/02)
Matchbox Cars & Retirement
(1/07)
Personal Service Still Builds Success (11/99)
Project Confidence
(9/11)
Psychic Prospecting (8/03)
Replacing The Loss
(10/09) 
Retirees Look At Quantity Not Value (5/09)
Retirement Lost (and found)  10/01
The Rule of 72-50-2 (2/01)
The SEC's Annuity Smackdown
(8/10)
Situation Realization Marketing (12/03)
Situation Realization Prospecting  (1/04)
Tale of the Safe Money Regatta (12/02)
Talking Pictures  (9/01)
Talking With Consumers (5/04)
Take Some Money Off The Table (9/99)
Tax Act Opportunities (11/01)
Tax Control Is Golden (6/00)
30 Second Guide To Success (8/01)
Tomorrow I Will Begin To (2/01)
Unconventional Prospecting (2/99)
A Winter Opportunity (2/01)
When your answer loses, answer a different question  (2/10)
Why Buy An Index Annuity When Rates Are Up (2/00)
Why Should Agents Sell Index Annuities?   (1/98)
Write A Success Paper (5/09)

Web Sites
EIA Carrier Web Sites (9/99)
Taxing Web Sites (3/99)
Uninviting Front Doors (5/01)