Taking The Mystery Out Of Swiss Annuities

(NAPSA)—There’s good newsfor those who could benefit from investing in what are known as Swiss annuities but don’t know how to take advantage of them. A new consumer’s guide may changeall that. In general, an annuity is a The Consumer’sGuideto Swiss Annuities™ ee Jean-FrancoisMeillard financial product in the form of a contract between an insurance company and an investor. Annu- ities are primarily used as a meansof securing a steady cash flow for an individual during the retirementyears. Swiss annuities are much like their American counterparts. The main difference is that whenit’s time for the contracts to begin payingoff, the underlying value of the contract is based on Swiss currency. The insurer simply converts the francs to dollars and sends the investor a dollar-based check. The Swiss franc is considered a “safe haven” by manyinvestors andhistorically has been virtually inflation free. When it comes to investing in a foreign asset, however, some people would just as soon walk away from an opportunity—even one they knew waslegitimate—if they felt they didn’t know enough or were in over their head. To help investors whoare interested in Swiss annuities but don’t know where to begin, Jean- Francois Meillard—a chartered accountant by profession—formed The Swiss Annuity Consumer Bureau. The Consumer Bureau’s first publication is “The Consumer’s Guide to Swiss Annuities.” The guide is a thorough but easy-to-understand 44-page book that describes the different kinds of annuities available and how they work. A new guide has been created to help investors who may benefit from Swiss annuities but don’t know whereto begin. Meillard’s book includesa retirement-planning guide designed to help investors determine if a Swiss annuity makessensefor them: Topics covered in the guide include: How Swiss franc investments have performed over the past 34 years. e Why Swiss insurance companies are the world’s safest. How to create a guaranteed life income in Swissfrancs. How a Swiss franc annuity can inflationproof your retirement. How to make your investments in Swiss annuities accumu- late tax free. “The Consumer’s Guide to Swiss Annuities” is available for 15 dollars from The Consumer Bureau’s Web site, www.swissannuity consumerbureau.ch, as both a downloadable book and in print form. The printed edition only is also at www.Amazon.com.