​The 5 years before and 5 years after retirement are a vulnerable time for you as an investor.

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A loss in the value of your investments can take time to bounce back from. For example, if you lost 10% of your investment due to a downturn in the stock market and you were planning on retiring the following year, you may want to postpone your retirement by another year or two so that there would be time to make up that loss.

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Annuities are a good to consider for a portion of your investable assets because they allow your money to grow safely, without risk of loss. Some have a specified interest rate, and some will be linked to a specific market index that will allow them to participate in some of the gains of the stock market, but not participate in any losses of the stock market. In either case, you won't "lose money."

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Because they do require some time to "marinate", you should make sure that you don't have an immediate need for the money that you would put in an annuity. You should feel comfortable with it being in there for 5-7 years. In fact, annuity companies ask you to verify on the application that you have sufficient income for your needs and that you have other cash or stocks available in case you experience a financial emergency.

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In our consultation, we'll talk about the basics of annuities, what type of fixed annuity might be most suitable for you, and what your goals are for the money you're investing. We only use financially stable insurance companies that are highly rated for your protection.

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We have access to dozens of products, including annuities offered by MassMutual, Symetra, Equitrust, Securian, Athene, and many more.