Frequently Asked Questions

What is a fixed indexed annuity and how is my principal protected?

Interest is linked to a market index with a guaranteed floor: even in a down year, your account is credited at least 0%, so you can’t lose principal to market losses. The trade-off is a capped upside — you don’t capture the full index gain in strong years.

Who should consider an annuity, and who should avoid one?

Annuities are best for people who fear outliving their savings more than they crave market returns — savers in their 50s and 60s moving money out of market risk, CD owners tired of taxable annual interest, or anyone whose bills exceed Social Security. They’re not a fit for anyone decades from retirement, anyone who might need the money before 59½, or anyone being pressured to put all their savings into one contract.

Does Fish Creek Life sell variable annuities?

No. Fish Creek Life works exclusively with safe-money annuities — fixed and indexed products where your principal is contractually protected. If the market crashes, your account doesn’t.

Annuities in Plain English

Here’s the entire concept in one sentence: you give an insurance company money, and they promise you a paycheck. Everything else — the product names, the riders, the fine print — is just variations on that one deal. This page is the plain-English map of the whole territory, written the way we’d explain it across a kitchen table.

What an Annuity Actually Is

An annuity is a contract with an insurance company. You put money in — a lump sum or payments over time. In exchange, the company makes you a promise: guaranteed growth, a guaranteed future paycheck, or both. It’s the only financial product on earth that can guarantee income for as long as you live, which is why it’s often called a “personal pension.” Pensions mostly disappeared; annuities are how regular people rebuild one.

One thing you should know up front: we work exclusively with safe-money annuities — fixed and indexed products where your principal is contractually protected. If the market crashes, your account doesn’t. We don’t sell variable annuities, period.

Who Annuities Are For

• People who fear outliving their money more than they crave market returns. Outliving savings is retirees’ #1 fear for a reason.
• Savers in their 50s and 60s moving money out of market risk as retirement approaches.
• CD owners tired of watching interest get taxed every year at rates the bank sets.
• Anyone whose essential monthly bills exceed Social Security — that gap is exactly what guaranteed income is for.

Browse all our Annuities articles →

And who should skip them: anyone young with decades of investing ahead, anyone who might need the money before 59½, and anyone being pressured to put all their savings in one. An annuity should hold a slice of your money — never the whole pie. We wrote the full honest version here: Are annuities right for you?

Meet Rob — Our Annuity and Retirement Income Specialist

Rob has spent 25+ years in insurance and financial services, specializing in retirement and longevity planning — annuities, long-term care, life, and disability. Philly-raised, he moved to Colorado in 2001 and never looked back: he’s a dad of two boys and an avid fly fisherman, which means he’s professionally patient, allergic to snap decisions, and happiest explaining something complicated until it’s simple. At a place called Fish Creek Life, a fly-fishing annuity guy basically writes his own bio.

Rob’s philosophy is the same one Tom built this agency on: replace confusion with clarity, and high-pressure sales tactics with honest, human guidance. He’d rather talk you out of the wrong annuity than sell you one.

The Safe-Money Lineup

Fixed Annuities & MYGAs — the “CD from an insurance company”

Lock in a guaranteed rate for 3–10 years, zero market exposure, tax-deferred growth. The simplest product in the annuity world. Read the full guide →

Fixed Indexed Annuities — a floor of zero, explained honestly

Interest linked to a market index with a guaranteed floor: your worst year is 0%, ever. Capped upside is the honest trade. Read the full guide →

Immediate Annuities (SPIAs) — trade a lump sum for a paycheck now

Hand over a lump sum, start receiving a guaranteed monthly check within weeks — for life, if you choose. Read the full guide →

Deferred Income Annuities — longevity insurance

Pay now, and lock in a guaranteed paycheck that starts years down the road. The later it starts, the bigger it gets. Read the full guide →

The Complete Annuity Library

Every guide below is written in the same plain English — no jargon, no sales pitch, honest trade-offs included:

• Fixed Annuities and MYGAs: The CD From an Insurance Company
• Fixed Indexed Annuities: A Floor of Zero, Explained Honestly
• Immediate Annuities (SPIAs): Trade a Lump Sum for a Paycheck
• Deferred Income Annuities: Longevity Insurance for Your 80s
• Annuities vs. CDs: The Head-to-Head Everyone Actually Googles
• Annuity Riders Explained: Income Riders, Death Benefits, and What They Cost
• How Annuities Are Taxed: Tax Deferral, LIFO, and 1035 Exchanges
• Are Annuities Right for You? Pros, Cons, and the Myths in Between
• Annuities for Women: Retirement Income for a Longer Life

Annuities also connect to the rest of your plan: they can fund long-term care with a 2–3x multiplier, pair with life insurance for legacy planning, and complement long-term care coverage so one health event can’t unravel your income.

Talk to a Human

No call centers, no pressure, no 45-minute “discovery calls.” Just Rob or Tom, a straight answer, and the actual numbers from top-rated carriers side by side. Call 719-539-4790, request a quote, or send a message.