Follow the money

How we get paid.

Some people will tell you to steer clear of annuities. Before you take that to heart — or ignore it — it’s worth doing the one thing that cuts through every pitch on either side: follow the money.

So here it is — exactly how we get paid, and how a money manager usually is.

How we’re paid

It comes down to a few things:

The insurance carrier pays us a one-time commission — typically 1–2% — and we put it in writing before a dollar of your money moves.
You never pay us a fee.
It never comes out of your deposit, and it never changes your rate: the number you see is the insurer’s own filed rate — the same rate wherever you buy it.
The advisor you’d speak with is salaried, so the list you see is ordered by that filed rate, not by which carrier pays us more.

And no — it isn’t free

It isn’t free: that commission is part of how the product is priced.

What it isn’t is a fee billed against your balance — it’s paid once, by the carrier, and disclosed to you up front.

How the other side is paid

Now set that against how a money manager is usually paid. The common arrangement is about 1% of your savings — not once, but every year, for as long as they hold your money, taken straight from the account.

On its own, one percent sounds small. The difference is in the word every.

What each side is paid on $100,000 over 10 years

A money manager $10,000

about 1% of your balance — charged every year

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GetSure $2,000

a one-time commission — paid once, by the carrier

once

Illustrative — a $100,000 balance, a 1% annual advisory fee held flat, and a 2% one-time commission. It compares how each side is paid, not investment returns or your total cost.

Don’t take our word for it

You don’t have to trust a word of this. Google two things for yourself and compare how each one is charged:

assets under management fee
fixed annuity commission

And when you do talk to someone here, they’re salaried: their pay doesn’t move with the sale, so they can tell you “not this much,” “not this product,” or “not yet.”

If a plain bank CD fits your money better than an annuity, we’ll say so.

That’s how we make our money. Whenever you’re ready, you’re welcome to see today’s rates — on your own time.

GetSure is a licensed insurance agency. The figures above are illustrative and compare how each side is paid, not investment returns; actual compensation varies by carrier, term, and firm. Educational, not financial advice.