FAQ

WHO IS ANNUITYSPECS.COM?
Advantage Group Associates, Inc., the parent company of AnnuitySpecs.com, has over a decade of experience in the annuity market. Our President, Sheryl J. Moore is a market research analyst who was formerly in charge of competitive intelligence for two insurance companies. She worked in Annuity Product Development and also has experience in the product line from administration and marketing, to product positioning and benchmarking.

WHAT IS ANNUITYSPECS.COM?
AnnuitySpecs.com is a website resource that houses snapshot specifications and rates for Fixed, Indexed, and Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuity products. In addition, we provide side-by-side comparison tools for product analysis and the most advanced search tool in the industry. If you need to perform a search of all products in the market that are “10/10 compliant”- no problem! We’ve got you covered! Plus, we provide you with sales data, annuity news, industry resources, and a running list of newly launched products.

For those of you new to the industry, get acclimated with “The Basics.” This is a public area of the website where you and your clients can find out more about the annuity market, the terminology associated with it, and some of the most frequently asked questions that aren’t so easily answered.

IS EVERY ANNUITY ON ANNUITYSPECS.COM?
AnnuitySpecs.com began in 2005 as the resource for information on every Indexed Annuity available for sale. In 2010, the firm added Fixed and Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuities to the website. Only Fixed and Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuities that are marketed through the independent agent/FMO distribution are featured on AnnuitySpecs.com. If we were to feature all annuities through all distributions, it would raise our overhead to a level that would be cost-prohibitive (and we appreciate having subscribers!) Because of our expertise in assisting the needs of the FMO distribution, we have narrowed our focus to this sales channel.

HOW IS ANNUITYSPECS.COM DIFFERENT?
We are the only annuity product resource that is NOT RUN BY AN INSURANCE AGENCY. This is more important than one would think, especially if you are an agent, or a competitive intelligence representative. Your other alternatives to gaining access to this information are marketing organization spreadsheets and a couple of competitors that offers websites or publications out of the back offices of their insurance agencies. They want their audience to sell the products that they report on, as they will receive an override on the products that are in their publications. So, if there is a particular product feature that may not be so appealing, they may not mention it, or they may skirt around the issue.

We have NO VESTED INTEREST IN ANY PRODUCT on this site whatsoever. We do hold valid life and health licenses, but are not/and have never been contracted with any carriers. We do not sell or endorse any financial products. For that reason, you will never see any bias in the presentation of the products on this site.

Most importantly, we believe in FULL DISCLOSURE.

Every agent needs a tool that can help them present annuities for their clients with confidence. This website can give you that confidence.

HOW FREQUENTLY IS THE WEBSITE UPDATED?
Daily. We update the website for rate changes, product launches, product changes, and discontinuations daily, as we receive the necessary information to update the product profiles. We know how important it is for you to have access to accurate annuity information 24/7. It is for that purpose that we are constantly ensuring the accuracy and timeliness of the data on AnnuitySpecs.com

HOW DO YOU OBTAIN THE INFORMATION?
Most of the information on AnnuitySpecs.com is sent to us proactively by the insurance companies in the annuity market. Specifications are taken primarily from specimen policies and marketing materials. Any missing data is requested directly from the home office; product profiles are also sent to the home offices for review. Our rates are obtained through a variety of sources: many home offices and distributors send them to us proactively, we have access to many home offices and distributors’ websites, and we also rely on other competitive intelligence methods.

HOW MUCH IS THE MEMBERSHIP?
Licensed producers and registered representatives seeking access for a single-user license agreement are offered an annual subscription to AnnuitySpecs.com for $300.00 payable by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express.

If you are an employee in a Home Office, Broker Dealer office, or Marketing Organization, you must be covered under a multi-user license agreement. Cost of membership varies based on your needs and the number of subscribers in your office that will need access to the website. Please contact us directly for terms and pricing on multi-user license agreements.