Get Realistic About Retirement Income Needs
Setting reasonable retirement income goals is the first order of business we address with potential clients. As it turns out, most pre-retirees have unrealistic income assumptions based on their assets, according to a recent survey of advisors. Plus, while asset distribution is a critical issue with consumers and advisors, there is hardly any consensus as to how best to meet that challenge.
A recent article from Investment News talks about the problem. Because it offers no solutions or concrete strategies, the article serves to highlight issues with the industry. Read the article here. Registration is required but it’s free.
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When we started Annuity Straight Talk, our goal was to make sure people had all the information needed to make a good decision. Well, what we’ve found is that there is a major knowledge gap among consumers. New visitors to the site frequently come in confused, after receiving conflicting advice from different advisors who don’t agree on how best to handle the retirement income question.
The fundamental, mathematical and scientific proof is that annuities play a critical role in an optimal retirement plan, but it is critical to place it in the right time and context for the individual.
What’s that mean for you?
So you, as a consumer, are searching for relevant answers about how, when, and even if, to use annuities. But you are almost guaranteed to get a variety of opinions and solutions. And each opinion comes with a different probability of success. We also happen to have our own ideas of how best to meet retirement income needs, but we back those ideas up with all the research we can find. We have yet to be proven wrong.
As it turns out, there is one optimal way to generate retirement income- it involves using annuities… at the right time and proportion to your overall asset base. It also turns out that figuring out what you need is pretty simple. Getting these two things down is 90% of the challenge.
In the world of financial advisors you’ll find specialists in every area of the industry. Each advisor is likely to offer solutions based on maximizing your participation in their area of expertise. That might be stocks, bonds, muni funds, T bonds, real estate, hybrid annuities… whatever. While a single product specialist may be perceived as having some value, it can also be phrased as a one-trick pony. A single product or strategy solution is rarely the most optimal strategy for you.
Remember, there is no one-size fits all plan or product. Rather, a truly optimal strategy is aware of all these options and picks those that are best for you, when they make the most sense. Unfortunately, this can often mean that people get seriously confused after seeing a wide variety of options.
By all means, do your research and gather information. But when you are ready to put an optimal plan that works best for you together, give us a call. It may well be that an annuity is not for you, depending on your age and assets, and we’ll be the first to tell you if there’s nothing we can do to help.
Good luck and have a great week!
Bryan J. Anderson
Last Updated on February 1, 2023 by Bryan Anderson
