PRE-RETIREES AND RETIREES WITH $250K+ IN SAVINGS
CREATE GUARANTEED INCOME FOR LIFE - AND ELIMINATE THE #1 RISK MOST RETIREMENT PLANS IGNORE
Learn how annuities work, the honest pros and cons, and whether they fit your plan.
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THE #1 RISK
THE RED ZONE
If you are 5 to 10 years from retirement or recently retired, you have entered the "Red Zone."
This is the #1 risk most retirees never see coming. During this window, three things work against you:
Market crashes can permanently damage savings
You have less time to recover
You are withdrawing instead of saving
If you navigate this right, your money lasts a lifetime.
Get it wrong, even large nest eggs can disappear.
WHY THE 4% RULE FAILS
The famous 4% rule says withdraw 4% annually and your money lasts 30 years.
But what happens under bad market conditions?
Consider two retirees, each with $1 million for retirement, following the 4% rule.
Same investments. Same withdrawals. The only difference? When they retired.
Retiree A: Retired in 1982, before a bull market. After 25 years, they still had $2.4 million left.
Retiree B: Retired in 2000, right before two market crashes. After only 18 years, their money was completely gone.
Same plan. Different timing. One retired comfortably. The other ran out of money
The Solution? Guarantee your income with Annuities.
Free Red Zone Assessment
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ANNUITIES EXPLAINED
WHAT IS AN ANNUITY?
An annuity is insurance for your retirement income.
You exchange a lump sum today for guaranteed monthly paychecks for life.
Most Americans already rely on annuities without even realizing it.
Social Security is an annuity. You pay in during your career, you get monthly checks for life.
Pensions work the same way, creating guaranteed income for life.
These generate income that never depends on market conditions—which is why they become the most trusted part of a retirement plan.
HOW A PROPERLY STRUCTURED ANNUITY WORKS
There are multiple ways to structure an annuity.
For a retiree in the red zone, a good annuity is tied to a market index like the S&P 500.
This helps keep pace with inflation, but has one key difference: it has no downside risk.
Each year, one of two things happens:
Market goes up: You capture 40% to 80% of the gain. That gain locks in permanently.
Market goes down: You lose nothing. Any previous gains stay protected.
Historical Example: From 2000–2018, the S&P 500 averaged 6.28% annually.
A hypothetical annuity with 50% participation and zero losses would have averaged 6.31% annually during the same period.
That comparison looks good. But nothing is perfect—and annuities come with trade-offs you need to know.
Based on your age, savings, and risk
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PROS AND CONS
THE TRUTH ABOUT ANNUITIES
Annuities are controversial for one reason: money.
Financial Advisors tell you to avoid them because they lose management fees.
Life Insurance Agents tell you to put all of your money into them because that’s all they sell.
The truth? It's somewhere in the middle.
The key is to understand the trade-offs and see if one fits your needs.
THE UNBIASED TRADE OFFS
There are pros and cons to everything. Here's what you need to know:
CONS
Money is locked up: you have limited access for 5 to 10 years.
Capped Gains: Only capture 40% to 80%+ of market growth, not 100%.
Complexity: Requires proper guidance to structure properly.
PROS
Guaranteed Lifetime Income: Cannot outlive your money.
Zero Market Losses: Account value never drops during crashes
Higher Withdrawal Rates: Withdraw 5% to 7% annually vs. the traditional 4% rule.
Understanding these trade-offs reveals the answer: it's not about putting everything into annuities or avoiding them completely.
It's about strategic allocation based on your essential income needs.
No obligation, just clarity
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THE SOLUTION
THE 2-LAYER FRAMEWORK
Most retirement planning is guessing. The 2-Layer Framework creates certainty.
Layer 1 - Essentials: Build the foundation first and guarantee your lifestyle. Using social security, pensions, and annuities to cover essentials—food, housing, utilities.
Layer 2 - Growth Assets: Then, grow your assets using stock and bonds for flexibility and discretionary spending—vacations, travel, etc.
This means you never wake up during a market crash wondering if you can still afford groceries. Your essentials are covered. Your growth portfolio stays invested and recovers. You sleep at night.
See your personalized strategy
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LEARN MORE
GET YOUR FREE RETIREMENT ANALYSIS
You're in the Red Zone. The question is: will you protect your retirement from bad timing, or hope the market cooperates?
Get matched with a Retirement Specialist
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM FREE CONSULTATION
Retirement-Only Specialists → Our partners focus exclusively on retirement income, not general financial planning.
The "Does This Fit?" Answer → Get a clear yes or no. If annuities don't fit your situation, we'll tell you.
Custom Income Projection → See how much guaranteed monthly income you could create to cover essentials
Multi-Carrier Comparison → We shop the entire market to find the best rates for you, not the best commission for us.
Get Free Retirement Analysis
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS
For educational and informational purposes only. StrategIQ Capital does not provide tax, legal, accounting, investment, or financial advice.
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