Jenny, a manager in a large manufacturing firm, is required to deliver several presentations per month. She feels confident about putting together the speaking points, which cover technical material, but feels that she is ‘inflicting’ a boring lecture on her listeners, since the material is so dry.

Despite a difficult interest rate environment, income annuity sales grew almost 18% in fourth quarter and nearly 7% in 2011, according to estimates from the Beacon Research Fixed Annuity Premium Study.

Total annuity sales increased eight percent in 2011, compared to 2010, to reach $240.3 billion, according to LIMRA’s fourth quarter 2011 U.S. Individual Annuities Sales survey, which represents data from 94 percent of the market.

New York Life today announced the introduction of a three-year initial interest rate guarantee and matching three-year surrender charge period on its popular Secure Term MVA Fixed Annuity. This new offering provides a guaranteed 1.15% rate tax-deferred, over the three-year term, compared to the national average of 0.69% for three-year CDs. The three-year term complements the product’s existing five-, six-, seven- and eight-year terms, and is now available to consumers through New York Life’s agency sales force as well as through select third parties.

With the consumer price index up only 2.9 percent in 2011, inflation still might seem hard to imagine. Even though the index rose .4 percent in February (translating into an annual rate of 4.8 percent) the Fed clearly believes it will be a while before the economy takes off.