In this completely unfiltered video, Shawn from The Annuity Expert explains why he considers RILAs to be a gimmick. Shawn describes a RILA as a hybrid created "if a variable annuity and a fixed index annuity had a baby." While RILAs are marketed as offering higher stock market upside with a loss "buffer," Shawn exposes how buffer strategies still expose you to significant losses before protection kicks in. When you stack market losses on top of contract fees and advisor management charges, a RILA can rapidly erode your retirement savings.

Shawn also exposes the absurdity of paying an advisor an ongoing management fee on a self-managed, annual-reset RILA contract. Instead, he outlines his "Separation of Church and State" retirement strategy: keep your growth money in a separate market portfolio, and use a true Fixed Index Annuity (FIA)—such  ...