When a football team gets the ball inside the opposing team’s 20-yard line, they are considered to be in the “red zone.” There it’s more likely that they will score.
If you are within ten years of retirement (either before or after), then you are in what many financial professionals consider to be the “retirement red zone.” Famously coined by Prudential, the retirement red zone is a crucial stage for your long-term lifestyle.
Just as it’s critical that a football team can come away with points from the red zone, it’s also imperative that you manage your assets well during this critical period. Read More
An annuity cap rate is the uppermost limit on how much a fixed index annuity can grow in value for a certain timespan. The fixed index annuity earns interest based on a benchmark index. When the benchmark index goes up in value, the annuity is credited interest based on a portion of that growth. When the benchmark index falls in value, the annuity is simply credited nothing for that period, and the principal and previous interest earnings stay intact.
The interest credited to an annuity can’t go any higher than the cap rate. Among fixed-type annuities, a fixed index annuity is generally the only kind of annuity that has cap rates. A cap rate is also known as a ‘cap’ in financial circles.
Many retirement savers like fixed index annuities for their growth potential while having principal protection for their money. But in exchange for that protection, that growth potential can be limited by other ways than just caps: participation rates and spreads.
In this article, we will cover annuity cap rates in more detail – and briefly touch on spreads and participation rates, since they also serve as growth limitations for annuities.
In a nutshell, the participation rate in an annuity is the portion of the gain in a fixed index annuity that you will be credited with. Your annuity will be credited that portion as interest. Fixed index annuities have benchmark index options into which you can put money so that it can earn interest.
Generally, a fixed index annuity is the only kind of fixed-type annuity that will have participation rates. In this article, we will discuss participation rates in an annuity and how they work.
When it comes to saving and planning for retirement, there are several mistakes that can be made along the way. To avoid those crucial errors and set the groundwork for a secure retirement, it’s good to think about the future, plan ahead, and check that your financial goals are well-grounded.
To that end, keep in mind these twenty-four common retirement planning mistakes. While this isn’t an exhaustive list, it’s a good starting point, whether your “sayonara” to the workplace is on the horizon or you still have some years to go.
We will go into each of these frequent mistakes in more detail, but here is a quick sum-up:
Among financial pundits today, Dave Ramsey certainly has a large following and has helped people with various areas of personal finance, such as getting out of debt. Millions tune into his radio show. That being said, Ramsey has very strong opinions on annuities. The question is whether his anti-annuity stances are on the mark.
While opinions are subjective, Dave Ramsey has been incorrect on the facts of annuities that he discusses on occasion on his show. In some cases, the inaccuracy has been notable.
For retirees needing a guaranteed lifetime income stream, guaranteed growth above what bonds or other fixed-interest assets offer, and other guaranteed benefits from an annuity for their goals, it’s a huge disservice to completely disregard these options as part of a retirement strategy. Just as millions of listeners turn to Ramsey for how to get out of debt, millions of people have benefited from having an annuity in their retirement financial plan.
One issue with Ramsey’s annuity positions is that annuities come in all sorts of flavors, just as mutual funds do. Each type of annuity has different strengths, downsides, and benefits in what they can offer. It’s a straw-man argument to group them all together as being the same.
While this isn’t meant to be exhaustive, here are a few instances where Dave has it wrong on annuities — especially fixed index annuities — and how keeping annuities as a serious consideration in retirement planning is better for the public.
Nobody can ever predict what the stock market will do in the future. If you have an annuity or are thinking about getting one, what can happen to your annuity if the stock market crashes? Will the market downturn impact your annuity? The short answer is that it depends on the type of annuity that you have. Other factors can come into play as well.
In this article, we will cover what can happen to your annuity when the stock market crashes. Keep in mind the five primary annuity types as you read this guide on annuities and market crashes: immediate annuities, fixed annuities, multi-year guarantee annuities (MYGAs), fixed index annuities, and variable annuities. As you will see, only the last two types of annuities can be affected by a stock market crash.
If you are at least 65 and aren’t covered by an employer health insurance plan, then you will probably need to enroll in Medicare.
Every year, there are copays, deductibles, and premiums to be paid. These numbers typically adjust from year to year, so you don’t have to be caught unprepared when they change this year in 2023.
Once again, Social Security recipients have been given a large COLA (cost of living adjustment) for their benefits, which can play into these updates here. Here are the critical numbers that are important to know regarding Medicare benefits in 2023.
Millions of people depend upon annuities and life insurance for financial protection. For many years, life insurance companies have made good on the contractual guarantees that they have pledged to their annuity and life insurance policyholders.
Nevertheless, at various points in time, some life insurance companies go under. You might wonder about what can happen when your insurance company goes out of business. The good news is that this sort of event is relatively rare.
When they fail, banks have FDIC insurance and investment firms have SIPC coverage. Life insurance companies are regulated at the state level, so they don’t have federal insurance coverage, but there are other financial protections to guard policyholders against the risks of this scenario.
Here’s what you need to know if the life insurance company with which you have your policy becomes insolvent.
You might be considering an annuity as part of your retirement strategy. The benefits of tax-deferred growth and a guaranteed income stream in retirement can be quite appealing. But before you commit to putting your initial premium into an annuity, it’s good to know what other costs of an annuity are involved.
Does your annuity come with benefits that have additional costs? Does the base contract have any features that will cost you in some way? How much are you paying for the specific benefits that are provided with your particular annuity contract?
Understanding your options, and their pros and cons, can help you make a well-informed decision. Here, we will discuss the different fees and charges that are assessed by life insurance carriers when they issue these contracts.
As you near retirement, it’s important to talk to your financial advisor about retirement. While the essentials of retirement planning don’t change, the 2020s have brought some unique conditions: huge market swings in a short time, fast-rising interest rates, and ongoing global economic uncertainty. For 2024, here are a few questions to ask your financial advisor about retirement. After all, you need to know that your advisor can competently guide you on your retirement goals, build a plan that lets you maintain your preferred lifestyle, and help your money last as long as possible.
This begins with having a conversation around your unique situation. It’s good to ask your financial advisor the right questions that help put everything in context. To help you get started, here are some questions to ask your financial advisor about retirement:
Tell me about what you do to help people with retirement planning.
How long have you worked as a retirement financial advisor?
Why do you do what you do, and what are you most passionate about in this field?
When do you think that I can retire, and what are my options?
Do I have enough money to retire?
What should my retirement goals be?
What do you think of my current financial plan for retirement?
How much can I spend in retirement? Will I be able to keep up my lifestyle?
How will I fund my lifestyle once I have retired?
What will taxes be like for me in retirement?
How long will my money last before I run out of income?
What can you do to help me be ready for major financial risks in retirement?
I have a pension. What could happen if something happened to my old employer or if my pension benefits were cut?
When should I take Social Security benefits?
What should I know and do about Medicare and health coverage in general?
What can healthcare cost me throughout my retirement years?
What do you do to help my retirement plan keep up with inflation?
What can happen if I retire in a recession or market crash? How do we plan for that?
What are some other ‘bad situations’ to keep in mind, and how can you help you plan for those scenarios?
Say I choose to delay retirement or keep working. What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing that?
What can we do to ensure that my spouse or I have sufficient financial resources in place should one of us pass away?
How much could long-term care cost us in retirement? How likely are we to need some sort of long-term care support?
What sort of life changes have you seen other people experience in retirement?
Start a Conversation About Your Retirement What-Ifs
Start a Conversation About Your Retirement What-Ifs
Already working with someone or thinking about getting help? Ask us about what is on your mind. Learn More
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What Independent Guidance
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