Variable Annuities

Too often the retirement planning conversation focuses on accumulation - growing the pool of savings to have a larger pool to “draw down” in retirement. But this model forgets one important fact: the need for regular, reliable monthly income — income you can budget on – doesn’t go way when you retire.

Finding the right investment choices nowadays is easy when you have the right professionals to help you understand the many choices available to you and what they can do to help you at this point in your investment or retirement strategy. Ask your financial advisor for help in calculating your expected monthly income in retirement. Ask your financial advisor for help calculating your accumulated savings, so you have an idea of how much income you can generate and how long that might last. And don’t forget to take into account future issues, such as rising prices and unforeseen health-care expenses.

Ask us here to help calculate your expected monthly income based on current investments and other sources of income, like Social Security, 401K, 403Bs,and identify if there is a gap in your planning strategy. Then you should discuss how much of that income can or should be protected or shielded from potential changes due to market downturns.

What if your expected monthly income is less than what you need to retire with and last a lifetime?

If income from your current savings and investments, when combined with Social Security, is not enough to meet your monthly retirement income needs and you are concerned about outliving your retirement savings, One of the best solutions is to consider an annuity, which can provide protected monthly income to supplement your savings and investments and Social Security.

There are a wide range of different types of annuities, all of which offer protected lifetime income. With certain annuities, expanded optional income protection is available for an additional cost. Ask for a personalized illustration to determine if the benefit of protected income is valuable to you. What if I need access to my money in an annuity? With all investments, it is important to consider when you will need to access your money. Some annuities carry withdrawal or surrender charges that may limit when you can access your money without incurring a charge. Be sure to ask how this works. Be sure to ask what, if any, costs are associated with withdrawing money early; for example, in the case of unexpected expenses such as health care or long-term care needs. If you want protected income to be received right away, make sure you understand all your options. Some annuities can also protect your principal from losses.

How do you know that your protected income is safe? All insurance companies have a rating for financial strength provided by rating agencies like A.M. Best, Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch.

We are not here to sell you different types of investments for your retirement, we are simply here trying to provide you with a clearer understanding of the many types of investment and retirement opportunities available to you including annuities and other investment vehicles.

Too often the retirement planning conversation focuses on accumulation - growing your pool of savings to have a larger pool to “draw down” in retirement. Finding the right investment choices nowadays is easy when you have the right professionals to help you understand the many choices available to you and what they can do to help at this point in your investment or retirement strategy.

Ask us to calculate your expected monthly income based on your current investments and other sources of income, like Social Security,401K, I.R.A.s and let us help you identify if there is a gap. Then you should discuss how much of that income can or should be protected or shielded from potential changes due to market downturns.

If your income from current retirement savings and investments, when combined with Social Security, is not enough to meet your monthly retirement income needs and you are concerned about outliving your retirement savings an annuity is probably the right choice.

An annuity, which can provide protected monthly income to supplement your savings and investments and Social Security will be helpful if you outlive some of that retirement income by guaranteeing a lifetime stream of income available with some types of annuities.

Ask us if you feel a portion of your retirement plan should be invested in an annuity to give you the peace of mind that you’ll have with a protected income for the rest of your life. There are a range of different types of annuities, all of which can offer protected lifetime income.

Depending on the type of annuity you choose and the benefits offered, there may or may not be direct costs. With certain annuities, riders or expanded optional income protection is available for an additional cost. What if I need access to my money in an annuity? With all investments, it is important to consider when you will need to access your money. Some annuities carry withdrawal or surrender charges that may limit when you can access your money without incurring a charge. Be sure to ask how this works. Be sure to ask what, if any, costs are associated with withdrawing money early; for example, in the case of unexpected expenses such as health care or long-term care needs. If you want protected income to be received right away, make sure you understand all your options. Can annuities help protect me from investment losses? Annuities can provide you with monthly income that’s protected from market volatility. Some annuities can also protect your principal from losses. Be sure to ask about and discuss the variety of annuity options with your financial advisor How do I know that my protected income is safe? All insurance companies have a rating for financial strength provided by rating agencies like A.M. Best, Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch. Ask your financial advisor about the financial ratings of the insurance company you are considering. Are there other strategies for protected monthly income? Ask your advisor if there are other investment strategies that provide protected lifetime income that can help mitigate the impact of rising costs of living and health care, market volatility, interest rate fluctuations, and longer lifespans. There are important tax consequences if purchasing an annuity in an IRA (qualified annuities) or purchasing it with after-tax money (non-qualified annuities). It’s reckless to invest in an annuity without considering the tax consequences.