Draft:AnnuityAdvantage

AnnuityAdvantage is an American insurance agency specializing in fixed-rate, fixed-indexed, and lifetime income annuities. It is based in Medford, Oregon.

AnnuityAdvantage was founded in 1999 by Ken Nuss, who has served as its chief executive officer (CEO) since its founding.

History
Ken Nuss began his career in financial services in 1992 at a full-service brokerage firm. Over time, he shifted his focus towards fixed annuities, influenced by the satisfaction of his clients with their guaranteed returns compared to those in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. In 1999, he founded AnnuityAdvantage as a platform that provides information on principal-protected annuities.

At the time of the company's founding, the majority of annuity products were purchased in-person through licensed insurance agents. AnnuityAdvantage encountered challenges in persuading clients to adopt the concept of purchasing annuities remotely, but consumer attitudes eventually shifted, leading to the acceptance and growth of the remote annuity sales model, which AnnuityAdvantage helped pioneer.

AnnuityAdvantage positions itself as an unbiased source of information on fixed annuities and has been recognized in several publications. Within the annuities industry and among its observers, the company is regarded as a significant source of annuity-related information.

CEO background
Ken Nuss, originally from Ashland, Oregon, graduated with honors from Ashland High School in 1981 and attended Southern Oregon University. Prior to his financial career, he owned a restaurant and several video rental stores.

In 1992, Nuss began working as an investment representative at Edward Jones, a brokerage firm. He founded AnnuityAdvantage in 1999, introducing a website for comparing fixed annuities online, a novel concept at that time.

Holding insurance licenses in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., Nuss frequently contributes to financial publications and has been recognized in the industry, including induction into the Advisors Excel "Hall of Fame" in 2020 and multiple qualifications for the Million Dollar Round Table.

Associations

 * National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA)
 * National Association for Fixed Annuities (NAFA)
 * National Ethics Association (NEA)
 * Better Business Bureau (BBB)

Platform
AnnuityAdvantage is accessible through its website where a user can compare rates and quotes of annuities from different insurance providers. Barron's describes AnnuityAdvantage as a resource for information on fixed annuity contracts.

AnnuityAdvantage views fixed rate deferred annuities as a comparable alternative to bank CDs.