The scariest retirement question isn't 'how much have I saved?' — it's 'what if I outlive it?' An annuity converts part of your savings into income that keeps arriving for life, no matter what markets do.
A healthy 65-year-old has strong odds of reaching 90. That's 25 years of groceries, property taxes, and healthcare that a portfolio must survive — through every crash along the way.
A market drop in your first retirement years, while you're withdrawing, does damage a later recovery can't fully repair. A guaranteed income floor takes that risk off the table for essentials.
Some are genuinely bad — opaque, expensive, aggressively sold. Fixed and fixed-indexed annuities with clear terms are a different category. Knowing the difference is our job.
Cover your essential expenses with guaranteed sources (Social Security + annuity income) so market money is for living, not surviving.
Surrender schedules, rider fees, payout rates — read to you straight, compared across carriers, before anything is signed.
Annuities are long commitments. We'd rather you take a month to decide than a day to regret.
Primarily fixed and fixed-indexed annuities — the guarantee-oriented kinds. We'll explain variable annuities if you ask, but chasing market upside inside a high-fee wrapper is rarely the right tool for an income floor.
Usually within ~10 years of retirement, for the portion of savings whose job is essential income — not for money you may need liquid, and not for everything you own. Concentration is the classic annuity mistake.
Fixed and fixed-indexed annuities typically have no explicit annual fee unless you add riders; the carrier's margin is built into rates. The real cost to understand is the surrender schedule — we put it in front of you on day one.
Guarantees are backed by the issuing insurance carrier's claims-paying ability, which is why carrier financial strength ratings matter and why we shop them. State guaranty associations provide an additional backstop within limits.
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