Author name: John Stevenson

If I were building a retirement plan with $2 million today, I would not put all of it into one strategy. I would use part of the money to create contractual lifetime income with an annuity and leave the rest invested for potential growth. The goal would be simple: create enough dependable income to enjoy

People sometimes ask me a very fair question: “John, would you put your own retirement money into an annuity?” My answer is yes. My wife and I plan to use several of them as part of our retirement income strategy, not just one. I sell annuities for a living, so I believe I should be

If I were retiring this year, my goal would not be to choose between guaranteed income and the stock market. I would build a retirement income plan that uses both. I like being invested in the market because I want long-term growth and flexibility. But I also value guarantees, especially when I am depending on

If you have $5 million saved for retirement, you are in a strong financial position. But does guaranteed income still matter when your portfolio can already generate substantial income from Treasury securities, bonds, municipal bonds, dividend-paying stocks, or a diversified investment strategy? Maybe it does, and maybe it doesn’t. I work with many people who

If you have $3 million saved for retirement, you might assume that financial worry should disappear. After all, $3 million is still a significant amount of money. Even earning a relatively modest 3% could produce around $90,000 per year before taxes without requiring you to withdraw the original principal. But retirement anxiety is not always

If you have $2 million saved for retirement, you may feel like guaranteed income is unnecessary. You have built a substantial portfolio, and you may believe you can simply invest the money and withdraw what you need. You might be right. Not everyone with $2 million needs an annuity, but guaranteed retirement income may still

If you have $1.5 million saved, should you buy an annuity? The honest answer is that it depends on what you need your money to accomplish. I sell annuities, and that is how I make money. But there are times when I tell someone not to buy one because an annuity should solve a real

If you have $1 million saved, you may be wondering how much monthly retirement income it could realistically generate. You may also have several million dollars but only want to allocate $1 million toward creating reliable income. The answer depends heavily on your age, marital status, where you live, when you begin taking income, and

If you have $500,000 saved for retirement, what should you do? My first priority would be creating reliable income without committing every dollar to an illiquid product. An annuity could provide a contractual income stream for life, but I would only use the portion needed to establish that income. I would keep the rest available