A financial advisor recommended an annuity. How do I know whether it fits?

As part of the financial analysis, a professional recommendation should explain the assumptions, alternatives, conflicts, and total cost in plain language before you act. For this planning decision, run more than one scenario because a recommendation that works only under one return, inflation, or longevity assumption is fragile. Because annuities are long term contracts, the decision should be based on the full contract rather than the illustrated return.