Certificates of  Deposit:

These are generally known as CD's,  where money can be placed in the bank of your choice in a safe secure manner.  That is the up side!  The down side is that you have to pay taxes on the interest earned each year and it is difficult to access your money until the CD matures.  Plus the interest earned often does not keep up with inflation.

Fixed Indexed Annuities:                                               

The two things that we like about fixed indexed annuities are that (a) you get a minimum interest rate guaranteed and (b) there is no risk of loss if held to term and no withdrawls are taken.  This means that a down turn in the market cannot reduce your contract value. A fixed indexed annuity, once called an equity indexed annuity, earns interest based on changes in an external index, such as Dow Jones, NASDAQ, and S&P 500.  These annuities are usually funded by lump sum contributions rather than monthly payments.  The selected index varies from day to day depending on the allocation you choose.  When you buy a fixed indexed annuity you own an insurance contract. You are not buying shares of an indexed fund, any stock, or bond investments.  These annuities are designed for long term purposes and the interest earned is not taxable until you start receiving income.  Most fixed indexed annuities allow you to access your cash before the contract is completed by making it possible for you to withdraw up to 10% on given years without a surrender charge.  It is important to note that 401k money, 403b money, and CD funds may be rolled into a fixed indexed annuity without creating a tax obligation, and may, depending on the premium and time period selected, earn you a better interest rates.

Individual Retirement Account (IRA):

The IRA is the long standing traditional tax deferred annuity.  It's short coming is that they seldom have a loan feature which means, in an emergency, there is no way to access your money.  They are, however, safe and secure.

Annuities contain limitations including potential withdrawal charges and fees which may affect contract values.  Guarantees provided by annuities are not guaranteed by any bank or the FDIC.  Fixed indexed annuities are not stock market investments and do not directly praticipate in any stock or equity investments.  Market indices do not include dividends paid on the underlying stocks, and therefore do not reflect the total return of the underlying stocks; neither an Index nor any market-indexed annuity is camparable to a direct investment in the equity markets.  Clients who purchase indexed annuities are not directly investing in a stock market index.