The Myth that Indexed Annuities are Evil

Any financial choice has only three potentials: it will either improve your financial situation, harm it, or have no effect at all. If a financial choice improves one's financial situation, then it would probably be a very popular choice. Equity indexed annuities are taking in billions.

The fact is, conservative savers are fleeing for safety because:

• Talk of U.S./global recession is widespread
• Banks continue experiencing massive losses
• Inflation is the highest since early 1980’s
• Rising unemployment becoming a big problem
• The sub-prime/housing problems will not go away
• Stock market is wildly volatile & nerve-wracking

Safety, principal guarantee & peace of mind are very much in demand. There's only one safe money place to get upside potential with zero downside risk — index-linked annuities.

Re-Engineering Retirement- the myth of being saved by "the market"

Re-Engineering Retirement:

Take the "oops" out of retirement uncertainty

The expression "oops" doesn't inspire confidence in procedural matters of either health or finance. If your surgeon says it just before you go under, you're probably going to have some concerns as soon as you wake up. An "oops" in a retirement strategy can be just as worrying. In the good old days of sustained bull markets, no real strategy appeared to be needed: The Market would make up for starting too late, saving too little, and investing in the wrong places.

To help reduce complexity and uncertainty in this potential "oops" situation, Allianz Life has developed the "Re-Engineering Retirement" program. It involves discussions around three levels of retirement expenses, seven sources of retirement income, and five retirement options.

Re-Engineering Retirement is a solutions-based process. Through it, you can come to understand many of the elements that contribute to a confident retirement. Hopefully, with my assistance, it will take the "oops" out of your retirement party.

The five retirement options allow me to show you that if your current assets will not meet your future retirement goals, there are still some pre-planning solutions for you to consider.

Option 1: Do nothing

Your first option is to do nothing and simply be satisfied with the way things are. When you finally assess the reality of a significant reduction in your standard of living, it may be too late to do anything about it. As a financial professional, I want to have a well-documented file. Our Re-Engineering Retirement workbook reminds me to make notes on what you decide- or don't decide -to do.

Option 2: Save more

The second option deals with putting more away now for future delivery. This is always easier said than done considering all the current economic pressures; but putting away even a little more now is helpful.

Option 3: Work longer

The third option involves you working more years before taking retirement. This is always a little emotional since many people work because they have to, not because they want to continue in a profession they really enjoy. This option could also mean working part time, considered to be supplemental, to allow for the maximum benefit from Social Security.

Option 4: Risk more

The fourth option is to take on more risk in the accumulation phase. We all know that this can lead to greater uncertainty. No one's risk tolerance goes up when anxiety sets in. It's just the opposite, and what you have already accumulated might be jeopardized by taking on additional risk and then possibly bailing out of the market at the worst possible time.

Option 5: Re-Engineer

The fifth option is a combination of all these elements.

If you want to learn how to "re-engineer" the five options discussed above and help mitigate the possible "oops" potential in your retirement process, call me about Re-engineering your retirement. 503-698-1110

All the Best,

gary

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