Financial & Investment Services

Too often most financial and retirement planning conversations focus solely on the investments that are the fastest accumulating models not necessarily the safest. This type of thinking can wipe out retirement savings if not carefully executed in their latter stages just prior to retirement. Sure conventional thinking says growing your pool of savings fast to have a larger pool to “draw down” in retirement is a good idea, but doing this without certain safety measures is akin to playing with fire. 

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Finding the right investment choices nowadays is much easier when you have the right professionals to help you understand the many choices available to you and knowing how they can do to help at this point in your investment or retirement strategy.    There are a wide variety of choices available in the alternative investments marketplace available to choose from. That is if you would like to branch out from the conventional thinking. Annuities, commercial real estate, R.E.I.T.s, investment in stocks, bonds , Hedge Funds, Specialty ETFs and Mutual Funds, Private Equity, Managed Futures, Options, Commodities, Derivatives and Structured Products, Life Settlements and Premium Finance are just some of the alternative investments available to those savvy investors seeking to diversify their assets.

Ask us if a portion of your retirement plan should be liquid or invested in an annuity to give you the peace of mind that you’ll have a with a protected income for the rest of your life. That could be the icing on the cake in addition to your investments. Depending on the type of annuity you choose and the benefits offered, there may or may not be direct costs. With certain annuities, expanded optional income protection is available for an additional cost.  What if I need access to my money in an annuity? With all investments, it is important to consider when you will need to access your money. Some annuities carry withdrawal or surrender charges that may limit when you can access your money without incurring a charge. Be sure to ask how this works. Be sure to ask what, if any, costs are associated with withdrawing money early; for example, in the case of unexpected expenses such as health care or long-term care needs. If you want protected income to be received right away, make sure you understand all your options. Can annuities help protect me from investment losses? Annuities can provide you with monthly income that’s protected from market volatility. Some annuities can also protect your principal from losses. Be sure to ask about and discuss the variety of annuity options with your financial advisor How do I know that my protected income is safe? All insurance companies have a rating for financial strength provided by rating agencies like A.M. Best, Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch. Ask your financial advisor about the financial ratings of the insurance company you are considering. Are there other strategies for protected monthly income? Ask your advisor if there are other investment strategies that provide protected lifetime income that can help mitigate the impact of rising costs of living and health care, market volatility, interest rate fluctuations, and longer lifespans.