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Branislav Nikolic: Annuities Are Math

Stan Haithcock
October 11, 2022
Branislav Nikolic: Annuities Are Math

About Fun With Annuities Episode #130

There is some serious math IQ on this Fun With Annuities podcast as Branislav Nikolic joins me as my newest celebrity guest host.  Let’s just say that I don’t have many people with a Master’s Degree in Probability and Financial Engineering. Branislav is also finalizing his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics.  You can’t bluff your way through those courses!

Branislav is the Vice President of Research for CANNEX, and leads their research and development in the fields of retirement income planning and investment analytics.  This works includes customized research relating to the evaluation, purchase, and utilization of annuities.  He has also worked with Moshe Milevsky’s research group as well.  That’s called “resume stuffing” if you ask me.

Annuities are not investments.  Annuities, regardless of the type, are contracts.  Annuities should only be owned for what they Will Do, not what they might do.  Branislav and his team at CANNEX are behind the calculators on my website.  That’s where those top contractual quote #’s come from.  Thank you, CANNEX!

I pushed Branislav to dumb it down for the rest of us and explain lifetime income annuities and the recent work he has done with these important transfer-of-risk strategies.  He did a good job with his explanations and the needed details that consumers really need to understand.

He has worked with other Fun With Annuities podcast guests like Moshe Milevsky, Michael Finke, and David Blanchett to make annuities more understandable to the public.  This is so important because people need to make their decisions on facts, not over-hyped sales pitches.  Of course, I’m the recognized leader in pro-consumer annuity education, and I’m so glad to have Branislav and his colleagues on my team.

If you want to learn about annuities from the academic side of the ledger, then this podcast is for you.  So, when you are eventually pitched some too-good-to-be-true annuity, never forget this brutal fact…ANNUITIES ARE MATH!

"To emphasize, annuities are not wealth maximizing. You’re not buying insurance to be better off; you’ll be better off in the case of an event. And then obviously, understanding that it's not all or nothing, that this is part of a bigger picture of having a portfolio of things that work for you, as opposed to just portfolio stocks and bonds." —  Branislav Nikolic.

Brief Bio on Co-host: Branislav Nikolic

Branislav Nikolic is Vice President of Research, where he leads research and development in the fields of retirement income planning and investment analytics.  This includes custom research and consulting relating to the evaluation, purchase, and utilization of annuities.

Branislav holds an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics, Masters degree in Probability and Financial Engineering, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics at York University in Toronto. He is also a lecturer at York University’s Schulich School of Business (Finance) and holds the designation of Financial Risk Manager (FRM).

He is a speaker at seminars organized by various industry organizations and represents CANNEX at IRI, NAFA, LIMRA, CLHIA, and the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences.

In this episode, The Annuity Man® and Branislav Nikolic discuss:

  • Always look for the better deal
  • Annuities are not an investment
  • Clearing the market before buying
  • Don’t buy the hope; buy the guarantee.

Key Takeaways:

  • Don’t let someone show you just one product; shop them all because there’s always one better annuity than the others. You should constantly look for that to get the most optimal guarantees.
  • Annuities are math. Know the benefits and the contractual guarantees and recognize that it’s not an investment but a transfer of risk.
  • You should always be looking. What was good yesterday or the day before may not be good tomorrow. The message is six months from now, do your quoting again, see who's the best today and right, and go with it. You, as a consumer, will benefit from clearing the market before buying.
  • Don’t buy the hope; buy the guarantee. Buy an annuity for what it is and should be, guaranteed income for life or as a tax-deferred investment vehicle.

Fun With Annuities Podcast® is hosted by America’s Annuity Agent®, Stan The Annuity Man®, and a Celebrity Co-Host. Hear facts with no sales pitches from the top independent agent in the country, licensed in all 50 states. Stan and his guests dive deep into topics such as annuities, finance, retirement, and so much more. It’s fun learning the facts and seeing if they’ll fit your personal retirement lifestyle. Thanks for being here!

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