Before everyone starts yelling gender discrimination, we know that husbands can prefer annuities too.

However, it is not uncommon for us to have a conversation with men who let us know right from the get go, “I don’t like annuities,” but I have to do something to take care of my wife if I’m gone. As guys, we typically think of ourselves as providers and view it as our responsibility to provide for our families. This should not be construed as being a denigration of  women (although my wife would tell me I’m digging myself into a hole right now) but rather a somewhat stereotypical view of men and stereotypes can have some basis in fact.

So why would many wives like annuities? Well, it’s not actually the annuities but rather what they offer that appeals to most wives. Annuities offer a stable lifestyle by providing a stable, safe lifetime income. Annuities are as close as we can come to a “set-it and forget-it” retirement.

Watch Dick and Eric explain to husbands why their wives prefer annuities.

**Guarantees, including optional benefits, are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuer, and may contain limitations, including surrender charges, which may affect policy values. During this segment, Dick and Eric are referring to Fixed Annuities unless otherwise specified.

Read the article that prompted this weeks entry.

Guess what? Your wife loves annuities

Recently, I was speaking in front of a national gathering of individual investors and traders about a topic that most of these market mavens cared nothing about … annuities.

Because this event was located in a tropical location, these future Gordon Gecko’s were accompanied by their wives, who just happened to be sitting by their loving masters of the stock universe during my presentation.

As it always happens when I speak at these events, as soon I start pointing out that annuities should be in place for lifetime income, lifestyle, and a worry free retirement that doesn’t involve the stock market, wives start elbowing their husbands as a reminder of who wins all arguments.

My 14-year-old daughter’s friend, Eloise, pointed out in a recent shuttle service I provided to their dance class, “every time my mom and dad argue about anything, it seems like my mom wins … so I think my mom has all the power.”

As my daughter immediately agreed and said that it’s the same in her house as well, I turned to Eloise and said that no truer words had been spoken, and that she is way ahead of the game with her insight.

As you know, your wife could give a hoot about finding the next great stock or guessing the future price of gold. Your wife cares about one thing and one thing only … lifestyle. Lifestyle to her is not a five-star mutual fund^{^}. Lifestyle to your wife is knowing that she will have enough money to live comfortably if something happens to you. It’s being able to go see the kids and grand kids. Lifestyle to your wife has nothing to do with the Dow Jones or anything related to Wall Street. The only thing that she cares about (if she told you the truth, and might have already) is having enough money coming into the checking account for the rest of her life.

Here’s where the love affair with annuities comes in. When you add up your pension (if you are so fortunate), Social Security payments, and other investment income, there might be a gap in the amount of required that needs to be filled. Annuities are the only strategy that can provide a lifetime income stream that you and your wife can never outlive. When I mention that statement, that’s when your wife’s elbow hits your rib cage as a subtle reminder that this is the only type of investment she cares about. [Read more from MarketWatch on why Your wife loves annuities…]