News 12 at 6, January 12, 2009

AUGUSTA---So your investments are tanking and your frustrations are mounting these days. What can you do? Are there any ways to actually make money these days with your investments?

They're called annuities and right now, some investors say, they're one of the only ways you can be guaranteed not to lose money.

Wynn Hensley got out of the regular working world a few years back.

"I retired from Bellsouth in 2001." he said.

And not long after, Wynn's investments took a retirement from making money for him.

"I got to the point where it was stop the bleeding." he said.

Wynn traded in some of his other investments for annuities. And he's been sleeping easy ever since.

"It allows me to take a monthly payment. It will be a monthly payment until the day I die." he said.

That's no matter if his initial investment goes up or down.

So what are annuities?

They are an investment. There are 3 types: variable, equity indexed and fixed. The differences have to do with what kind of return they provide. The common bond they have is that you can actually get a guaranteed return, no matter how well your initial investment fares on the market.

"This is too good to be true." That's what Strategic Retirement Solution's David Chiera says is the mentality a lot of people have, but he says it is all true.

"If you have a $100,000, i can guarantee you that you'll have $200,000 at the end of year 10." David explained.

So what are the downsides? Well, in some cases to get that guarantee, you have to pay out more fees and you very well will be penalized if you move the money too early.

But for Wynn, annuities just made too much sense.

"I don't go on computer every night figuring out where I'm losing it at." he said with a smile.

Talk to your financial advisor to see if an annuity is right for you.