John Cameron's personal blog

Annuities have been around for a long time, because they are an effective retirement investment. Recent innovation has made them even more attractive, and proof against black swan events like the Global Financial Crisis.

An annuity is an investment you buy for a one-off payment, that in return pays you a regular income.

Old style annuities only paid for a fixed term (usually based on average life span) so if you lived longer than average you could be left with no income. Income could also fluctuate with the market. There was no capital return on death.

Our client seminar, held on 13th August 2013, was rated a huge success by those who attended. People who completed a feedback form gave it a rating of 9.25 out of 10 – a truly remarkable result. The purpose was to provide factual information that would be useful to people who were planning to retire in the not too distant future, or are already retired. Judging by the feedback, we succeeded in meeting that objective.

Reliable dividends in bad times as well as good

The main speaker, Peter Thornhill, delivered his message about the worth of investing in a portfolio of dividend paying industrial companies, something he has been passionate about for a long time, and on which he expands in his book “Motivated Money”. The strategy has been successful through good times and bad, booms and busts. It has stood the test of time. Copies of Peter’s book are available on request. The message is applicable, whether the investment is made via a superannuation fund, a pension fund, directly in personal names, or via some other legal entity such as a trust.