Noah Williams |
June 3, 2025 |
Annuity Basics
For decades, retirement income planning was portrayed as a three-legged stool. These legs have traditionally been pensions, social security income, and personal savings. However, in today’s environment, there are many valid reasons for concern about these sources of retirement income. Back in 1980, approximately 38% of America participated in a defined benefit pension plan. As of 2023, this figure has dropped to approximately 15%. For individuals with pensions, there can be a flurry of options: a single life payout, 100% joint life payout, and sometimes...
View Article
Frankie Guida |
June 23, 2022 |
401k and IRA Blogs, Retirement Planning
When you open your toolbox, you will see several tools you can choose from to help you get the job done. In retirement, it’s just as necessary to choose your tools wisely to help you achieve your goals. Regardless of age, a Roth 401(k) or Roth IRA, also known as a Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA), are great tools to have in a personal investment portfolio. There are two types of Roth accounts. The first is called a Roth IRA and the second a Roth...
View Article
Keith Beggs |
May 6, 2020 |
Annuity Basics
If you have met with a financial advisor from one of the big Wall Street firms in the last few years, you might have walked away with a binder full of charts, hypotheses, forecasts, back-testing, and God only knows what else. What is the purpose of all of this? Do they expect you to go home and review this and come back with questions? No. The purpose, in my opinion, is to overwhelm you. It seems as if they want you to feel financially ignorant...
View Article
Mike Riedmiller |
July 30, 2019 |
Annuity Basics
Fixed rate annuity purchases (which includes fixed indexed annuities) could potentially increase by as much as 35% over the next five years, and variable annuity purchases by 15%, according to the LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute (LIMRA SRI). Over the last few years, there have been over $200 billion annually in new annuity purchases. Over one million Americans own over $1 trillion in annuities. In light of these numbers, it would seem that both accumulation- and income-focused annuities will lead the way. The numbers speak for...
View Article
Mike Riedmiller |
November 16, 2018 |
Annuity Basics
“Stocks take the stairs up and the elevator down.” The volatility and risks that the stock market can bring is no secret. A number of different things can trigger a rapidly declining stock market, from negative economic news and political turmoil to world events and misinformation. Market risk may not mean as much to someone younger and regularly contributing to their retirement account. A declining stock market can even be an opportunity to contribute more money at lower stock prices. However, as someone nears retirement,...
View Article
Mike Riedmiller |
August 13, 2018 |
Annuity Basics, Annuity123
There is a lot of interest in annuities and how they can be part of a solid retirement plan, which shouldn’t be a surprise, given the volatility we can experience from the stock market at any given time. Many people are earning low interest rates from their savings and CDs, there are more questions than ever about the future of Social Security, and many employers no longer offer pensions. It’s no wonder annuities are a growing financial product for many. While annuities are a good...
View Article
Mike Riedmiller |
April 2, 2018 |
Annuity Basics
Annuities can offer a number of attractive features for people who are currently working, approaching retirement, or already retired. Each year, Americans purchase billions of dollars of new annuities; they can be a big part of a solid retirement plan. People choose to add an annuity to their investment portfolio for several reasons, including: 1. Potential upside growth of their money. 2. Lifetime income, either immediately or in the future. 3. Tax-deferred growth. There are many additional benefits that annuities can offer when structured...
View Article
Knowel McGraw |
March 1, 2018 |
Annuity Basics
At Vivid Financial Group, we focus on the cash flow, because that’s what many retirees live on: monthly cash flow, not growth. Since 1990, I have worked with families to help them retire. The No. 1 question the retiree needs to be answered is how much income they can generate safely and reliably every month. Unfortunately, growth gets all the headlines, but unless that growth gets locked in, many folks will give it all back during a downturn and never get a chance to spend it. When you...
View Article
Jeff Jones |
January 16, 2018 |
Annuity Basics
I’m amazed at the number of people who understand so little about annuities. For 25 years, I have quizzed prospects and clients of their knowledge and perceptions of annuities. Some people claim, “Annuities are evil and should be banned,” while others have named their firstborn after these popular products. Life insurance is designed to protect a client’s financial dependents in the event of said client’s premature death, thus helping to protect loved ones from financial loss. Annuities are the upside-down version of life insurance and...
View Article
Mike Riedmiller |
January 3, 2018 |
Annuity Basics, Index Annuities, Retirement Planning, Your Retirement
As we approach the end of 2017, the stock market has been achieving all-time highs. This is very interesting since some people were calling for the stock market to crash this past year due to a number of factors. Of course, this crash did not happen. This has left many retirees and people approaching retirement with some important questions: 1. Is now the time to take some of my money out of the stock market? 2. Should I invest (risk) more money? 3. Should I...
View Article
