Retirement Planning
Retirement Income Strategies for Conservative Savers
Practical, proven strategies for creating reliable retirement income — without depending on the stock market.
The Challenge of Retirement Income
The biggest financial risk in retirement is not running out of money — it is outliving your income. With Americans living longer than ever, a 65-year-old today has a 50% chance of living past age 85. Your retirement income strategy needs to last 20–30 years or more.
The strategies below are designed to provide reliable, predictable income — with or without stock market participation.
Proven Retirement Income Strategies
The Bucket Strategy
Divide your retirement savings into three 'buckets' — short-term (cash for 1–2 years of expenses), medium-term (bonds or annuities for years 3–10), and long-term (growth investments for 10+ years). Annuities work well in the medium and long-term buckets.
Annuities provide the guaranteed income floor that makes this strategy work.
Guaranteed Income Floor
Cover your essential monthly expenses — housing, food, healthcare, utilities — with guaranteed income sources: Social Security, pension, and annuity income. This ensures your basic needs are always met, regardless of market conditions.
An annuity can fill the gap between Social Security and your essential expenses.
IRA / 401(k) Rollover Strategy
When you leave a job or reach retirement, rolling your 401(k) or IRA into a fixed or indexed annuity can protect your savings from market volatility while providing competitive growth and optional lifetime income.
Preserve your retirement savings and create guaranteed income from your IRA.
CD Ladder Replacement
Instead of laddering bank CDs, consider laddering Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuities (MYGAs) with different maturity dates. MYGAs typically offer higher rates than CDs and provide tax-deferred growth.
Higher rates, tax-deferred growth, and the same predictability as a CD ladder.
How Annuities Fit Into Your Retirement Plan
Annuities are not a replacement for all other retirement savings — they are a tool for creating a guaranteed income floor. When combined with Social Security, savings, and investments, an annuity can provide the financial security to enjoy retirement without worrying about outliving your money.
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