Live webinar · Wednesday, October 21 · 12:00 PM ET · 30–45 minutes

The 6% Question

A client can lock in 6% a year for five years, guaranteed by the issuing insurer.1 How much more would you need to expect from equities before you'd take market risk with that same money instead?

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Illustration of an advisor beside a balance scale. One pan holds a calm glowing block marked 6%. The other holds a storm with bond certificates yielding 4.86%, 5.73% and 4.50%, a sharply swinging chart line, and a ticker moving both up and down.

Presented by Declan Donahue, VP Annuities, DMI

Not ready? Answer the question first

Save your seat

Free for financial professionals. 30–45 minutes, including live Q&A. Zoom link arrives by email.

For financial professional use only. By registering you agree to receive event communications from DMI. Unsubscribe any time.

Can't make the 21st? Book 20 minutes with Declan and bring a live case.

Have a client case right now? You don’t need to wait for October 21.

The question behind the session

Answer the question the whole session is built on

No wrong answer. We'll ask the room the same thing live on October 21 and show where advisors land.

A client can lock in 6% for five years. How much extra annual return would you need to expect from equities before you'd tell them to take the market instead?

1.50%premium above 6%

So you'd need equities to deliver 7.50% a year.

Your hurdle: 7.50% a year

That is the number to hold the recommendation against. On October 21 we put it next to what five-year money actually costs and earns right now, and you decide whether it still looks right.

Why we're asking

Most annuity conversations argue about whether the market will go up. This one asks something narrower and harder to dodge: how much is your client being paid to take the risk?

Your answer is your risk premium. Once you've named it, every forecast, spread and rate sheet becomes a yes-or-no test against your own number.

We open the session by polling the room on this exact question.

Lock in an answer and bring it on the 21st.

What the client trades for it

The guarantee is the insurer’s, not the government’s, so carrier strength is part of the recommendation. Surrender charges apply if the client leaves early, and penalty-free liquidity is usually limited to about 10% a year. We cover all three on the 21st.

Agenda

What we’ll cover

The room poll, then where rates actually are

Your hurdle answer, the September curve, and the Fed’s first rate increase since 2023.2

Risk premium and the bond spread

What investors earn for taking credit risk today, and what a contract earns instead.

Taxable-equivalent yield

The $1 million year-one example, then the honest multi-year math, including the tax on the way out.

The impact fees have on returns

What comes off the top on each side of the comparison, and what is actually left for the client.

The $100,000 case, after tax

MYGA, corporate bond and Treasury side by side, and what the table does not say.

The objection round

Your hurdle against five major forecasts, the best case against this thesis, and how to answer without overselling.

Where a MYGA is the wrong answer, and where it fits

Inflation, liquidity, taxes, carrier strength, and giving different dollars different jobs.

Live Q&A

Bring a case. Declan stays on if hands are still up.

Who it's for

Built for advisors who don't use annuities

If you already run a MYGA ladder for every client, you'll hear things you know. If you've never treated a MYGA as a fixed-income decision, this is the session.

RIAs

You run a fee-based book and have never treated a MYGA as a serious fixed-income substitute. This argues it as a rate-versus-risk decision, with the fee and tax math shown, not a product pitch.

Broker-dealer reps

Your clients hold maturing CDs, cash and short corporates, and you need a defensible answer for the next five years of that money.

Hybrid advisors

You already have insurance capability and want a cleaner framework for deciding which dollars belong under contract and which belong in the market.

Your presenter

Declan Donahue, VP Annuities, DMI

Declan Donahue

VP Annuities, DMI

Declan works with RIAs, broker-dealer reps and hybrid advisors on where contractual assets belong inside a managed portfolio — product selection, carrier diligence, and the client conversation that gets a case to issue. He runs DMI's MYGA desk, which quotes across 30+ carriers daily, and is a regular presenter for DMI University.

He wrote The 6% Question, the article this session is built on.

October 21 · 12:00 PM ET · 30–45 minutes

October 21. Thirty-odd minutes. Bring a case.

Registration is free for financial professionals. Everyone who registers gets the full follow-up package, whether or not you attend live.

Want to see current rates first? Visit the DMI MYGA Store.

  • The session recording, the next morning
  • The full slide deck
  • The one-page client conversation guide
  • Live rates from the morning of the session

Questions

Before you ask

How long is it?

Plan on 30–45 minutes. We keep the material tight and leave the rest for Q&A, so it ends when the questions do. Register either way — the recording goes to everyone.

Is this a product pitch?

No. No carrier logos and no rate sheets on screen. It is a pricing argument about what investors are actually paid to take risk with five-year money. If you want to talk products afterwards, that's a separate conversation.

Who actually guarantees the 6%?

The issuing insurance company. A MYGA is backed by that carrier’s claims-paying ability. It is not FDIC insured and there is no government backstop, so carrier financial strength is part of the recommendation rather than a footnote — we spend time on how to read it. Rates are current as of the session and change daily.1

I have a case right now. Do I need to wait for the webinar?

No. Book time with Declan and bring the case, or check current rates in the DMI MYGA Store.

What if I can't attend live?

Register anyway. The recording, deck and client conversation guide go to every registrant the next morning.

Is continuing education credit available?

No CE credit is offered for this session.

Who can attend?

Financial professionals only — RIAs, broker-dealer registered representatives, hybrid advisors and licensed insurance professionals. This session is not for the general public.

Can I bring a case?

Please do. We close with open Q&A, and Declan stays on if there are still questions.