Annuity education for Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania.
If you live in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania and you're weighing how an annuity might fit into your retirement plan, you're in the right place. Annuity Academy is run by Paul Stocker — a former CPA, CRC, RICP, CAS, and NSSA — who works with Pennsylvania residents to translate annuity terminology into understandable facts.
What we do for Pennsylvania residents
- Plain-English education. Free guides and calculators that explain how annuities actually work — without the sales pitch.
- Illustration review. Already have an annuity proposal from another advisor? Send it over and we'll compare it side-by-side against what we know are the best products on the market today.
- Retirement income planning. Help thinking through the shift from the accumulation phase (saving) to the distribution phase (turning savings into reliable income).
- Tax-aware planning, from a former CPA. Roth conversion timing, IRMAA brackets, RMD strategy, and tax-deferred growth math — the tax-side questions most annuity-only advisors don't go as deep on.
- Straight answers. If an annuity isn't the right tool for your situation, we'll say so. The job is to help you make a good decision — even if that decision is to do nothing.
The annuity categories we focus on
There are over a dozen kinds of annuities. These three are where most retirement-planning conversations end up — and where our focus is concentrated for Lackawanna County clients.
Deferred fixed & indexed annuities
The category covering 80% of 2024 annuity sales. Principal protection, reasonable returns, and lifetime payout options.
Single Premium Immediate Annuities (SPIAs)
Lump-sum-to-income contracts that pay out within a year. Useful in higher interest-rate environments.
Variable annuities
Market-linked sub-accounts with optional income guarantees. Higher upside but with real investment risk.
Paul Stocker
Paul brings years of experience helping retirees translate annuity terminology into clear answers, with a former CPA's view of the tax-side decisions that quietly move dollars in retirement. He works with Pennsylvania clients across 26 counties — including Lackawanna County — and accepts clients nationally.