Advice & Strategies

As you get closer to retirement, safe money advice and strategies will typically become more important. One reason for this is because losing principal could equate to generating less retirement income in the future.

Some of the more common safe money strategies typically include:

• Generating regular, ongoing income for the remainder of your lifetime – regardless of how long that may be
• Keeping your portfolio safe from stock market downturns
• Growing money with a preset rate of interest
• Allocating a small percentage of your portfolio to growth

With historically low-interest rates still in place in the U.S., though, “traditional” safe money assets – such as CDs, bonds, Treasuries, and money markets – may not generate enough of a return to meet, much less beat, inflation. This, in turn, could lead to a loss of future purchasing power.

With that in mind, many investors and retirees are turning to financial vehicles like the fixed indexed annuity, which can offer market-linked growth, safety of principal (and protection of previous gains), along with an ongoing income in retirement.

Fixed indexed annuities may include other enticing features, too, such as a(n):

• Death benefit
• Waiver of early withdrawal charges if the annuitant/owner is diagnosed with a chronic or terminal illness or requires long-term care services
• Joint income option that continues paying for the life of two individuals (such as a husband and wife)

Because all fixed indexed annuities are not the same, though, it is recommended that you discuss your objectives – as well as your potential options – with a retirement income specialist. That way, you will know more about what you can (and can’t) anticipate from a particular annuity.

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