Published On: Fri, Sep 18th, 2015

Take Charge With Income You Cannot Outlive

BERNSTEIN-TED-HEAD-SHOT-214x300By: Ted Bernstein

 

Does your retirement plan provide you with enough guaranteed lifetime income that is not vulnerable to loss, regardless of market conditions or how long you live?  Most retirement age Americans lack sufficient levels of guaranteed, lifetime income.   For 65 year old retirees, life expectancy is approaching 90 and that is having a significant impact on retirement planning.  Too many people are exposed to longevity risk, the risk of outliving their assets during retirement.

With over 30 years of experience in risk management, wealth planning and thousands of clients helped, I educate people about the financial implications of longevity risk and about the solutions designed to minimize its affects.  A multiplier of all the other risks during retirement, nothing is more important in retirement planning than protecting your assets against this risk.

Keep your eye on the big picture – your security in retirement.

A lack of awareness and understanding about guaranteed income solutions is keeping an alarming number of people at risk during retirement. Most people feel safer and more secure with adequate amounts of guaranteed lifetime income.  Without it, you are missing a key component of a balanced retirement plan.  With it, your future is anchored in security, allowing you to consider more risk in other areas.  An experienced specialist in guaranteed income solutions can help you determine the appropriate amount of income for your specific retirement plan.

What is more important to you now; growing your assets or protecting them from loss?

National statistics confirm that 85% of us believe guaranteed lifetime income should be the cornerstone of a properly structured retirement plan, yet only 15% of Americans own longevity solutions.  The return of market volatility and meaningful portfolio losses is often the motivation many people need to take action.  Do not let the importance of this decision prevent you from doing what is necessary to protect your lifestyle.

A Private Pension Account – how does it work?

In exchange for a lump-sum payment to an insurance company, a longevity annuity is a contract making payments to you for the rest of your life, regardless of how long you live.  The longer the insurance company holds your money before starting to pay you this income, the higher the tax advantaged payments will be. Structured properly, there is no principal risk and your beneficiaries will inherit unpaid principal.

These special contracts are not the same as tax deferred accumulation annuities that are used for growth.  Pick up any recent financial publication and you will find financial experts advocating the benefits of longevity annuities. In fact, Fortune Magazine has called “2015 – The Year of the Longevity Annuity.”  Some offer extraordinary advantages, such as long term care riders that double the amount of income you receive when you need it most.  And, for anyone with equities in retirement plans, the withdrawals you are required to take are not guaranteed income because they are exposed to market risk.

Many couples rightfully worry about how their spouse will manage their investments once they are alone.  Due to diminishing cognitive functions, it becomes increasingly more difficult to manage or oversee an investment portfolio at 75 than it was at 65 and dramatically harder at 90.  Guaranteed lifetime income alleviates that concern, providing financial stability for the remainder of your spouse’s life.

There has never been a better time to protect your assets.  Today’s payout rates are likely to be the highest you will receive for the rest of your life as more insurance companies begin using current life expectancy tables.

I encourage you to seek the counsel of a trained professional, one specializing in strategies that protect you against the risks of living too long.  This is not the type of expertise offered by attorneys, accountants or investment managers, all of whom are valuable in their respective areas.

To learn more about these solutions, please email me at: TB@LifeCyclePlanners.com, or call me at, 561-988-8984 or visit us at www.LifeCycleFinancialPlanners.com.  Or, if you are interested in learning how you can educate your social network about the benefits of longevity solutions while earning income at the same time, visit our career page at www.lifecyclefinancialplanners.com/careers.

BIO

Ted Bernstein of Boca Raton, Florida, is an expert in life-cycle risk planning.  Specializing in mortality and longevity risk issues, he is a life insurance professional and nationally recognized innovation expert in life insurance and wealth preservation.  With decades of speaking out and advocating for changes on behalf of consumers, he was the first to introduce life insurance without commissions or “no-load” life insurance in the mid-1980s. His most recent innovation, the Installment Payout Option, is a game-changing alternative for how policy proceeds are protected. To learn more, visit TedBernstein.com or call 561-988-8984.

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