Annuities
Not everyone is equally prepared for retirement. While some of us are fortunate to have built a nest egg that should last us through our Golden Years, others will depend on government programs for retirement income. Regardless of which side of this divide you are on, Annuities can be a powerful vehicle to help you fund your retirement dreams.
Whether it is to deliver guaranteed income to you and your loved ones in retirement, to protect your principle while also providing income, or to provide death benefits to your beneficiaries upon your passing, there are annuity products to meet every conceivable need.
Why Annuities Are Important
The short answer: Diversification. Security. Peace of Mind. Flexibility!
Many retirees and soon-to-be retirees are concerned over the safety of their investments in mutual funds, ETFs and stocks. The swings in the financial markets can often be hard to stomach for seniors entering their retirement years. With the help of a well-chosen Annuity, one can add a layer of diversification to your retirement portfolio.
Then, there’s peace of mind. Annuities are structured as vehicles that are insulated from the fate of volatile market conditions. The nature of Annuities means you’ll never need to worry about when/how long you’ll need to wait before you recoup losses from the next stock market crash! We design annuities so your savings are sheltered from these market risks.
And of course, for the soon-to-be retiree who is concerned that there isn’t adequate time to close their savings gap, Annuities offer good news! There’s no limit on how much you can contribute to Annuities, on an after-tax basis. You can determine how aggressively you save, without concern for whether it’s too late to play the “catch up” game.
What We Can Do for You
If used strategically, Annuities can be an extremely powerful retirement income planning vehicle. Here are some of the ways that our Annuity experts can help you:
- Use annuities as a retirement planning option: Our team of specialists will work with you to review your entire existing portfolio to determine whether Annuities are right for you. In some cases, an overexposure to other fixed-income products, like Bonds and Dividend-paying stocks, could still leave your retirement income exposed. We’ll help you decide if Annuities are the right retirement planning option for you.
- Make cost-effective Annuity choices: Not all Annuities are created alike. While they may generally be a great choice for generating fixed-income in retirement, the cost associated with producing such income could sometimes be high. Our Annuity specialists are familiar with the entire Annuity landscape, and can help identify the most cost-advantaged Annuity investments for you.
- Receive tax-advantaged income: We help clients manage their tax liability through prudent product selection. Some annuities, like tax-deferred variable products, enable investors to receive tax-deferred income now – by not including such income to determine your current tax liability. Subsequently in retirement, when you might be in a lower tax bracket, your annuity-dependent income will not be a source of significant taxes.
- Build flexibility into your retirement planning objectives: whether you primary objective for this portion of your portfolio is maximizing income, locking in a guaranteed interest rate, maximizing growth, or transferring the highest dollar amount to your heirs, our annuity team will point you in the direction toward the appropriate category of annuities
Contact us today to learn more about annuities.
*There is a surrender charge imposed generally during the first 5 to 7 years that you own the contract. Withdrawals prior to age 59 ½ may result in a 10% IRS tax penalty, in addition to any ordinary income tax. The guarantee of the annuity is backed by the financial strength of the underlying insurance company. Investment sub-account values will fluctuate with changes in market conditions.