When it comes to purchasing annuities online, it is important to be cautious and do your research. Make sure you know who you are doing business with, how long they've been in business, the name of the agency, and the names of the agents. You should also find out if they have ever had any regulatory issues and what contracts they do not sell or have access to.

Transparency is key, but it's not enough for a company to just use the word. They need to follow through and provide transparency in their dealings with clients. At our company, we take this seriously and strive to be as transparent as possible. We believe that talking to a 30-year fiduciary who can show you their personal statement on the same annuity you're interested in is much more helpful than just looking at hypothetical backtesting results.

It's also important to keep in mind that just because a contract hypothetically tests out great in backtesting, it doesn't necessarily mean the company will continue offering the same rate in the first year. What really matters is whether the company honors its commitments after the point of sale.

If you're considering purchasing from a website that claims to be transparent but doesn't actually provide any transparency, be wary. Look for information about who you're dealing with and the percentages of clients who are happy or dissatisfied. Personally, I wouldn't trust my life savings with an unknown entity that doesn't have a long list of happy clients stretching out for generations before me.