See what the rep says but if it’s for their retirement which looks like it may be decades away, its probably is a good time. You may want to dollar cost average in over the coming weeks, put in a parcel at a time just to be sure further huge drops aren’t coming. An analyst said yesterday she expects the market to be Positive by year end. I hope she’s right

Synchrony Bank offering around 2%,
 

Synchrony Bank has been offering around 2%

I sold annuities and mutual funds for over 20 years - I'm retired now, not looking for a sale. My advice is to sit tight right now. My motto has always been to never make decisions when you are in a rush, in a panic or drunk! Depending on your age, an annuity may not be right for you. Besides, your rep is going to see a big fat commission and probably push an annuity. Today, the market will probably go up - Dow futures are up over a thousand this morning. The market is unstable now. I would suggest you consider an S&P 500 fund - probably Vanguard - no sales charge. Also, I suggest that, if you are going to invest the entire amount, consider "dollar cost averaging." Divide your $200 thousand into lots - say 20 $10,000 lots. Invest each lot on the first of every month - like clockwork. This way you will buy more shares when the market is down and fewer when the market is up. In the long run you will have more shares and higher value than if you invested the entire amount at one time.

I agree. Vanguard is famous for their low cost funds.
I also agree that market timing isn't easy and you'll only see the bottom in the rear view mirror.
I would ladder-in ladder -out. Put the money in at say 20% chunks for 5 months or if aggressive 5 weeks.

Good idea in principle
 

There is an old saying, "Never try to catch a falling knife". With $200k to work with diversification is something to think about. You might start with 25% in a good mutual fund, 25% in bonds and the rest in money market. Pull from the money market as the overall picture becomes less volatile. Just what I would do, there are lots of opinions.

I have been very happy with Vanguard's personal advisors. They charge very little for their advice. I like the idea of just going into a money market and slowly getting into index funds and mutual funds. Call them and see if you like them. They don't have offices, everything is done on the phone. I started with them in the 90's, they were my 401K. As a single retired nurse I would not be living in the Villages if it wasn't for them.

Ever hear the phrase, “once in a lifetime opportunity “? Maybe you have experienced one and took advantage of it or maybe you let your chance go by? There’s another popular saying” the rich get richer” . . . . . in my opinion, and with great certainty, I say these times, this very time, IS a once in your lifetime opportunity to get richer.

Great American companies, some of the greatest companies in history, are selling at bottom basement prices. Prices you will never see again in your lifetime. Oil, technology, manufacturing, consumer goods, industrials, utilities, financials. . . . . everything!

If this were not an election year, this flu season would not have been drummed up into such a panic. Tomorrow, next week, next month and for the rest of your lifetime the list of stocks in the Wall Street Journal will be the same but only the prices are going to be much, much higher than today.

Believe me or not, this is a once in a financial lifetime opportunity.

Put half into the cruise industry ( rcl, ccl, nclh ). They are down 70 %.

Good long term investment, people will cruise again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rcl and ccl pay dividends.

Final thought about professional advisors, the only time we ever lost $ in the mkt was when we lived on our boat and had a managed account from Solomon Smith Barney--it was duding the era--pre internet

Ask yourself this question--if these people are so smart how come they're still working to make more $$$--can't be that much fun hustling senior citizens

Not if the don't have cashflow.

Cash flow is tied to business volumn. Thus, when people come back so does the $$$$$$$$

Average into the market
 

Used to tell my clients to average into the market - put 1/3 in now, 1/3 in 30 days and 1/3 in 60 days. Be disciplined and don’t try to time the market. Now that I’m retired, I use Vanguard Target Retirement Fund - no fees in/out and low internal costs. It’s been very effective.

Need Advice
 

Please keep commenting. I am listening.

go talk to your financial person. don't rely on opinions from the neighborhood.

agree totally