Retirement
Planning for retirement, whether that’s five years away or 25 years down the road, is something each of us needs to consider. Making smart choices about how much money you save, and what retirement planning savings vehicles you use, can mean the difference between having the income you need in retirement to live the lifestyle you want, or struggling financially. There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to saving for retirement, but if you prefer a product that offers safety and guarantees, you may want to consider the retirement protection benefits offered by annuity products and indexed universal life (IUL) insurance policies.
What Are Annuities?
An annuity is essentially an insurance product. With deferred annuities, the contract holder can accumulate money over a period of years (the “accumulation phase”) by either making an initial deposit and watching it grow, or by making periodic deposits over time.
Funds invested in retirement annuities grow tax-deferred. When you’re ready to start drawing on your annuity, you “annuitize” the contract and turn it into an income stream so you receive a series of regular payments each month, quarter, or year.
What is Indexed Universal Life Insurance?
An Indexed Universal Life (IUL) policy is permanent life insurance coverage with both an insurance component and a cash value savings component. The cash value can be indexed to a financial market index, offering policyholders the upside potential that comes with investing in the markets while still retaining the protection of life insurance coverage.
How Can You Use Annuities and IUL for Retirement Protection?
There are many reasons for choosing retirement protection annuities and IUL products. The most common reason many people use annuities is for channeling their savings into a regular income stream during retirement.
Funds from Social Security and pensions may not be enough to allow you to live the lifestyle you want when you retire. Choosing a retirement protection annuity can give you an additional paycheck every month to supplement those other income sources – giving you the funds necessary to travel, pay your expenses each month, buy gifts for loved ones and more.
Similarly, IUL policies offer you the option of accumulating cash inside your life insurance policy – cash that you can use for any purpose.
Question & Answer
Q: What are the advantages of Retirement Protection?
Many of the annuity and life insurance products available through The Shank Group come with guarantees that can be invaluable to those concerned about not having enough retirement income from other sources.
The best part is that choosing a product with guarantees does not mean you have to give up the potential for growth in your annuity or cash value life insurance policy.
Q: Can I afford Retirement Protection?
There are fees and expenses associated with any type of retirement planning vehicle, and retirement protection annuities and insurance products are no different.
When you work with The Shank Group to explore retirement protection options, we’ll explain the fee structure of various products and answer any questions you have to help you make an informed decision.
Q: Do I qualify for Retirement Protection?
Most annuities used for retirement protection are “guaranteed issue” products that require no underwriting, so nearly everyone qualifies.
Because of the life insurance component of IUL policies, you need to meet the insurance company’s underwriting criteria in order to qualify for the product. Additionally, many IUL policies don’t require a medical exam, which can save you some time overall.