I was asked the other day about the origin of annuities. Were they created since WWII? The fact is, annuities have a long history dating back to the Roman Era when they were used as a form of gratification for loyal soldiers. Sometimes the emperor gave land, sometimes an annual stipend, an annuity of sort.

The other day while watching the Republican Debate (about number 45 I think) it suddenly occurred to me that my vote just didn't count as much as I had always assumed it had. I have religiously voted since I was 21 (1968 presidential election was my first). I have always contributed to local and national campaigns and been as active as most in politics.

But it really hit me thinking about the debate and the ads which had been running all week.

2012 will forever change the way fees are charged in the financial industry!

Not. What will change is the disclosure of the fees when a broker attempts or consummates a sales relationship. Effective immediately, all fees and expenses must be disclosed in any sales presentation. I think this is a good idea and I am all in favor of fee disclosure at any level.

How in the world did so many countries end up borrowing so much money. When I think of the American National Debt it seems to be so stifling that it becomes difficult to even understand the enormity of it.

But….Our debt is and has always been in a direct relationship to our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). As long as those ratios are in balance, the National Debt has always worked for the American Economy.

I have been a "hobbyist" economist (I use the term lightly) for many years. I have always been fascinated about how the systems work and as I rolled into the annuity business I have used the economist point of view to sell tons of annuities. It is odd for me to think like an economist because I am so poor in math…but the concepts I get.

When I heard about Verizon charging $2 to pay my cell phone bill as a convenience fee I thought I had heard wrong. Have you ever really looked at your cell phone bill? I finally really looked mine over the other day and my great family rate of $99 actually was averaging about $300 a month. Fees, taxes, special add ons…..is there anything more confusing than your cell phone bill?