Comments on: Guaranteed Retirement Option for Women

By: araina

araina — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:53:23 +0000

My fiance is considering retirement. If he retires before we marry, will I be entitled to retirement benefits?

By: DrShelby

DrShelby — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:13:36 +0000

Inflation is a very destructive force for most retirees and protecting purchasing power should be a key objective of retirees living on fixed incomes. By all means, if an immediate annuity that guarantees a lifetime income is appropriate, getting an inflation-protection rider makes a great deal of sense. The problem with lifetime immediate annuities is that the decision is invariably irreversible.

I personally think a better option is a traditional or index-linked fixed annuity that offers a guaranteed lifetime income benefit rider — this provides all the protection, even inflation protection if you choose the coverage, but retains the flexibility to change your mind if subsequent circumstances warrant. Thanks for your comment.

By: Annuity Guru

Annuity Guru — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:00:06 +0000

If a lifetime income annuity is selected, it is also important to consider purchasing one with inflation protection. The initial payments will be smaller, but they will grow over time to insure you have more purchasing power later in life.

By: admin

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:21:31 +0000

Thanks for your comments. If Social Security were re-directed to private investments and annuities, the Federal Government would not have the Social Security Trust Fund as a piggy bank. By the way, if you look at the assets in the SS Trust Fund you’ll find IOUs from the U.S. Treasury

What’s more, the interest the U.S. Treasury pays on the IOUs they put in the SS Trust Fund are more IOUs. This “Ponzi Scheme” has totally fooled most Americans. It would be a lot more efficient to just do away with the “straw man” we call SS and have the U.S. Treasury take the payroll deductions directly and pay the SS benefits. The “game” being played is like you setting up a trust fund to send your child to school and instead of putting money in the trust you put your IOUs. But, this is just one “Ponzi” foisted on the taxpayers.

By: Britt

Britt — Thu, 14 May 2009 19:40:31 +0000

Thank you for this commentary. No one should have to live in fear… What’s worse than having worry constantly hanging over your head? Guaranteed lifetime income and a well-research annuity is definitely a good option for most retirees. In fact, if we could get past the politics of the matter, it would make a lot of sense to structure Social Security this way.

That is, have people spend a lifetime investing into a portfolio of private annuities, diversified by institution and investment philosophy. If we did this, people could retire with actual worry-free wealth. Instead, all but the wealthiest individuals have to deal with that nagging fear that they may not have enough…