Spotlight Series

Choosing the Right Annuity for Guaranteed Retirement Income

👤Authored by Terry Coleman, a financial expert with extensive experience in retirement planning and annuities. Discover more about my background and expertise here.

Retirement planning is like managing a farming operation—it requires careful consideration, strategy, and a good understanding of the market dynamics. Just as a farmer decides when to buy or sell cattle based on market conditions, investors must determine the best strategies to protect and grow their retirement savings. Annuities are a crucial tool in this regard, providing guaranteed income and mitigating risks like inflation, taxes, long-term care costs, and market volatility. But with various types of annuities available, deciding which is right for you can be overwhelming. This article will explore different types of annuities and why they might be the best fit for your retirement needs, focusing on guaranteed growth, zero market risk, life income, and legacy planning.

Understanding the Basics: What is an Annuity?

An annuity is a financial product that provides a steady stream of income, typically during retirement. It involves a contract with an insurance company where you pay a lump sum or series of payments in exchange for periodic payments that can last for a specific number of years or the rest of your life. The primary appeal of annuities is the promise of a guaranteed income, which can help you navigate financial uncertainties like inflation, taxes, and long-term care costs.

The Accumulation Phase: Setting the Stage for Retirement

Think of the accumulation phase as the period when a farmer invests in his herd, buying cows when prices are low and selling when they are high. During this phase, which usually spans most of your working years, you can afford to take some risks to grow your savings. However, as you approach retirement—typically three to five years out—it’s crucial to shift your focus from high-risk, high-reward investments to more moderate or conservative assets. This transition is akin to the farmer deciding to hold onto his herd and invest in their upkeep when beef prices drop.

This is where annuities come into play, particularly fixed annuities and indexed annuities. Fixed annuities offer a predictable, guaranteed return, shielding your investment from market volatility—a vital feature for those nearing retirement who can’t afford to lose their hard-earned savings. Indexed annuities, on the other hand, provide a balance between risk and reward by linking returns to a market index like the S&P 500. This allows for some growth potential while still offering zero market risk—your principal investment is protected even if the market takes a downturn. Read More

Spotlight Series Expert Interview – Kim O’Brien, FACC

Find planning for retirement a little daunting — and perhaps frustrating? To help boil things down, we are bringing experts from all corners of the retirement and insurance spaces to give you high-level insights for your financial confidence and security. In this SafeMoney.com Spotlight Series interview, Kim O’Brien, Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of Americans for Consumer Choice (FACC), joins us to talk about retirement trends, annuities, life insurance, long-term care, and evolving regulations affecting insurance products.

This is a wide-ranging interview talking about all of the choices available to you, past and upcoming innovations in the annuity and insurance markets, how satisfied that annuity and insurance customers truly are with their policies, how you can build a truly well-diversified plan to handle today’s hard-to-predict risks, and much more!

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Spotlight Series Interview – John Chopak

safemoney.com spotlight series interview

The SafeMoney.com Spotlight Series highlights independent agents and financial advisors who are part of our tight-knit community of financial professionals across the country. They come from all walks of life, and each one brings rich life experiences, insights, and wisdom from their involvement in financial services and other professional pursuits.

john-chopak-massachusetts-financial-advisor

We celebrate them as independent business owners, neighbors, friends, educators, and movers-and-shakers affecting positive change in their communities. Today, we are joined by John Chopak, a highly experienced, independent agent from Massachusetts. John is singularly unique as to the extent and breadth of his business experience before he jumped into financial services and opened an independent practice. He is very entrepreneurial, hands-on, and deeply involved with each client’s retirement planning. John handles all services for each client himself. Keeping things “human” in his practice is a strong focus for him.

He has an unyielding commitment to integrity and doing the right thing for all clients. We are proud to have him as part of our national network of financial professionals, which has been featured on major news outlets that reach 84+ million households across the U.S. In short, you can say that John brings a deep, practical insight and wisdom to every client he serves.

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Spotlight Series Interview – Jon Bellman

safemoney.com spotlight series interview

The SafeMoney.com Spotlight Series highlights financial professionals who are part of our tight-knit community of financial professionals across the country. Our community of financial professionals has appeared on major outlets including CNBC, U.S. News Money, Fox Business, CNN, and others reaching 84+ million households nationally.

We celebrate them as independent business owners, friends, neighbors, educators, advocates, and people who are doing good work in their corners of the world. What stands out about financial professionals on SafeMoney.com from countless others in the industry is their commitment to financial security, wellness, and peace of mind for people from all walks of life.

Today, we have the pleasure of sitting down with Jon Bellman, an experienced financial professional from Texas. Jon has been serving clients in the financial services industry for nearly three decades. He is the president and owner of Bellman Financial Services, an independent firm. As a financial professional, Jon is a strong believer in education and in clients understanding their options for well-informed choices. 

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