Retirement Risks - Unexpected Events: Family Trouble, House Repairs, Bankruptcy, Funerals, Divorce etc

Bad things with significant negative financial effects can and do happen in retirement, not just occasionally but often. The 2015 survey b...

Long Term Interest Rate Outlook: Persistently Low

In our last post we explored how much interest rates would need to rise to justify holding off purchasing an annuity by five years. It wasn...

How Much do Interest Rates Need to Rise for Deferral of Annuity Purchase to Make Sense?

When interest rates are higher, annuity payouts are higher. The big question is, exactly how much would interest rates need to rise in order...

Surprise! Equities can Outdo Bonds for Cash Distribution Attractiveness

October 2016 Update: Little has changed since last year and since the original 2013 post. The various equity ETFs continue to power ahead of...

Is it Worthwhile to Wait for Higher Interest Rates to Buy an Annuity?

Payouts on annuities are at all-time lows these days. The same lump sum payment buys a much smaller lifetime income than it did ten or fifte...

Buying a Life Annuity - Tips

When buying a Life Annuity it is especially important to get the best deal since it is a one-time decision that lasts a lifetime. Here are s...

Retirement Investing - How an Annuity Complements an Equity-Fixed Income Portfolio

Retired investors face a challenging set of financial and investing risks. Several are not faced by those in the accumulation stage of life ...