You have heard from whom that it is bad how?

This is like how I hear all the time that renting is throwing away your money and you should own your home. If I had listened to the clamour of the Beotians and taken a mortgage on a London home in 2006 I'd be in a world of pain right now.

if the dollar becomes worthless, I am in a world of hurt

You live in Europe now, and you say the VA will put the money into a Euro account in a German bank, so what do you care what happens to the dollar once you get the money?

I am seeking suggestions to bring up with my financial advisor

My suggestion is don't talk to a financial advisor. And if you do, don't put your money into any product you cannot figure out (yeah, I mean doing the math and reading the legal small print) for yourself. I suspect if you follow the second part of the advice, meeting with the advisor is a waste of time.

The brainless should not be in banking -- Willem Buiter