Annuity Tricks

Annuity Tricks

April 16, 2026 · 34 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the complexities and costs of annuities, offering alternatives for guaranteed income and addressing listener questions about high fees at Edward Jones.

Annuities promise peace of mind—but often at a steep and poorly understood cost. Don and Tom break down when (rarely) annuities might make sense, why most—including fixed indexed annuities and QLACs—tilt heavily in favor of the insurance company, and how investors can replicate “guaranteed income” with a disciplined portfolio instead. They also take on a listener question about escaping high fees at Edward Jones (spoiler: yes, run) and dismantle a pitch for a Bitcoin-backed “bond alternative,...

People in this episode

Hosts: Don McDonald, Tom

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Edward Jones

Products: Bitcoin-backed bond alternative, fixed indexed annuities, QLACs

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