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It has been 30 years in the making, but on February 18, 2011 the shiny metal reached an intra-day high of $32.57 an ounce. Technically speaking there is support at the $30 an ounce level and resistance at $35, which is the range I mentioned in the article Silver´s Strength in 2011, so this is not a three sigma move, but exciting, nonetheless. The metal is up about 2.5% for the day and 5.3% since January 1, 1011.

Variable annuities are similar to individual retirement accounts: A customer's upfront payments go into tax-deferred investment funds (usually mutual funds) and the value of the investment depends on the performance of these underlying investment products. The return you get on your purchase payments depends on the performance of these investments.

Fixed annuities are ordinarily used by people who are not fully participating in the workforce, are about to retire, or have retired.

A charitable Gift Annuity (CGA), is a contract in which a charity, in return for the transfer of cash, stock, or some other asset, agrees to make specified, fixed payments to the donor for the life of the donor.

Annuities are a powerful vehicle for saving for retirement and guaranteeing regular streams of income upon retirement. They are often used for tax deferral and savings. At the same time, annuities can be very tricky to manage for maximum returns since the cost of insurance features can eat into the return you get on your initial investment. Annuity contracts are complicated, and those who do not understand them may end up paying a great deal of money for an instrument that does not serve its intended purpose. To reap the benefits of reduced taxes, stabilized returns and invaluable peace of mind which fixed annuities can offer, investors need to thoroughly research and consider these instruments in light of other retirement income such as pension payouts and other IRAs.

For all annuities, the growth of the money invested is tax deferred, but annuities can be purchased with pretax income and be tax deferred, or they may be purchased with money that has already been taxed. The type of income (pretax or after-tax) with which an annuity is purchased determines whether it qualifies for tax-deferred status.

Annuities are a contract between you and an insurance company in which you make a lump-sum payment or a series of fixed payments to the insurance company in return for a future stream of payments back to you. They ordinarily have an accumulation phase during which money accrues inside the instrument, and an annuitization phase during which money begins to be paid out.

Fixed rate and variable rate IRAs are ideal ways to save for your retirement. You can allow the money in these accounts to grow tax free and in some cases, you may even be able to deduct them on your taxes. But choosing between a variable rate and a fixed rate IRA may be a difficult decision since there is no right answer.

Variable rate IRAs are typically more attractive to the less conservative investor. People who don't mind taking risks often take out variable rate IRAs. There are other factors you should consider as well. For instance, if you have a diversified portfolio with fixed rate instruments, you could balance it out with a variable rate IRA.

If you listen to the talk about Social Security benefits and how they are dwindling down, you might start to get worried about how you are going to survive after retirement. Many people who are under the age of 40 may not even get to see any Social security benefits because the fund may be gone by the time they reach retirement age. That's why an IRA, or Individual Retirement Account, is so important to have these days.

Here is financial terminology often used in relation to bonds and CDs and the meanings of these terms.