Neil Wilding · 30 Oct 2023 · 3 minutes

ANNUITY ALPHA

Using FIAs to Drive Alpha. (Yes, you read that right: ALPHA)

Author: Neil Wilding Neil Wilding
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At some point, most of us have run a client’s annuity illustration and thought: 

I wonder what the capital markets would have to deliver to match what this annuity contract guarantees.

I know I’ve thought about it. I’ve even built out a spreadsheet or two to estimate it.


This week, the software experts here at Stonewood Financial launched a powerful, direct way to answer this question for your clients. And it’s called Annuity Alpha

Why Annuity Alpha?

The goal of this software is to give you a fresh, powerful way to present Fixed Indexed Annuities (FIAs) with Guaranteed Income Riders to your clients. We want to help you rethink the power of FIAs as a driver of alpha. 

Yes, alpha.

So let’s go back to my original question:

I wonder what the capital markets would have to deliver to match what an annuity contract guarantees.

As we’ve shared this software with advisors across the industry this week, the number one response has been, “Wow. The answer to that question is really surprising.”

So come see for yourself.

Here’s a link to a webinar I hosted this week showing how to use FIAs to drive alpha for your clients. Give the recording a watch – it’s a quick, direct, surprising 11 minutes of content that will help you understand the story and how the software works.

You may discover for many of your clients, equities would have to return double-digits to match the income today’s FIAs can deliver. Annuity Alpha Report


Here are my three big takeaways on the Annuity Alpha software: 

{% icon icon_set=”fontawesome-6.4.2″ name=”1″ style=”SOLID” height=”20″ purpose=”decorative” title=”1 icon” %} | As more pressure is put on financial advisors as fiduciaries, we need to be certain we are helping our clients make informed financial decisions. The Annuity Alpha software can help you evaluate the benefit of an FIA versus keeping your client in their brokerage account.

{% icon icon_set=”fontawesome-6.4.2″ name=”2″ style=”SOLID” height=”20″ purpose=”decorative” title=”2 icon” %} | Even advisors who produce a lot of annuity business are finding new opportunities with this software since it brings FIAs to a new audience with a new message.

{% icon icon_set=”fontawesome-6.4.2″ name=”3″ style=”SOLID” height=”20″ purpose=”decorative” title=”3 icon” %} | Heading into 2024, our clients are going to be bombarded with messages about the state of our economy and the markets. There are a lot of unknowns. Being able to analyze potential market returns vs. annuity contract guarantees can be a key service to bring some confidence and predictability to clients in a very volatile economic environment.


Annuity Alpha Report

Check out the story and software, and let us know what you think. 

If the Annuity Alpha story piques your interest, you can request a sample report for a client of your choice here. 

{% icon icon_set=”fontawesome-6.4.2″ name=”Circle Arrow Right” style=”SOLID” height=”20″ purpose=”decorative” title=”Circle Arrow Right icon” %}And if you’d like a 1:1 demo, my team is happy to jump on a call with you.

Neil Wilding
About the Author

Neil Wilding | COO, Stonewood Financial

Strategy expertise and training that actually moves the needle. Neil sees the big opportunities coming - and develops tools to let you take advantage of them.

Real Advisors. Real Results.

See how advisors are using Stonewood software to win larger cases and deliver better outcomes for their clients.

An advisor was working with a prospect who was a real "do-it-yourselfer" when it came to Roth conversions. The client was converting assets up their existing tax bracket – and hadn't considered any impact to IRMAA.

With Roth Done Right, the advisor was able to show an alternate pattern that sped up the conversion to 6 years. The new structure offered $30,000 savings in conversion taxes – a 20% reduction on the prospect's conversion tax bill. The report also showed hundreds of thousands of dollars in long-term tax and IRMAA savings from the converted assets – an amount the prospect hadn't been able to quantify on his own.

Outcome

A new client with $1M in new AUM, and a $1M FIA sale to fund the conversion process.

An advisor was working with a prospect who already had assets with Ken Fisher. Fisher's team presented a 5% systematic withdrawal projection, so the advisor needed a stronger way to frame the income conversation.

Using the Annuity Alpha report, the advisor showed how an annuity could deliver over 8% in annual cash flow with lifetime income, plus a long-term care doubler. The contrast was clear enough that the prospect moved forward.

Outcome

$1.5M placed and a $100K in new business revenue.

An advisor was working with a 58-year-old couple with an established, well-funded retirement income plan, leaving an additional $3M IRA to build out a legacy for the kids. The couple's existing advisor had no real additional plan for this money, other than to keep it in their managed account and grow that money as much as possible for the kids.

Using the Legacy Done Right report, the advisor showed the need for tax planning on this $3M IRA. According to the advisor, the simple analysis "opened up the wallet" to the Roth conversion story. The advisor then used the blended Roth/Life feature in the report to show a blend of Roth Conversion assets with some Life Insurance to help maximize the client’s legacy.

Outcome

$3M in motion. The advisor picked up a $1.5M FIA sale that will be converted to Roth. And the advisor also sold a 5-Pay Protection focused IUL policy at $225,000 of premium per year.

An advisor group incorporated the Total Tax Burden report into the strategy presentation for all new prospects. They ran the tax snapshot for every new client as part of their first meeting conversation, quantifying the growing tax burden of IRA money – and illustrating the kinds of tax savings possible when working with their firm.

Starting in January of 2023, this simple analysis was presented to every single prospect who walked in the door. The goal was to differentiate their practice and drive overall revenue growth through various Roth conversion strategies.

Outcome

From 2022 to 2025, new annual AUM rose from $5M to $50M. Annual FIA sales rose from $3M to $35M. And annual life premium rose from $50K to $1M.