1.  Remember Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan's use of the phrase "irrational exuberance" in December 1996 to describe the stock market volatility in the run-up to the "Dot-Com" bubble?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irrational_exuberance

I was reminded of it when I read the article linked below:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/full-blown-mania-stock-market-190645446.html
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2.  Worried about taxes going up?  You may find this link useful and informative:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/powell/2021/01/10/roth-ira-conversion-consider-ira-roth-ira-rollover/6601435002/
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3.  From Ed Slott - "America's CPA" - 2021 New Year's Resolutions For Your IRA:

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4.  From Social Security expert Devin Carroll - Social Security "Cheat Sheet" for 2021:

Here's a video from Devin re: calculating your Social Security:
http://www.viewpure.com/Gt2lA8515_A?start=0&end=0

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5.  Elimination of the "Stretch" IRA - Rules for Inherited IRAs - changes you need to know, e.g. elimination of the "stretch IRA" for most people  - for most situations, your heirs must now pay the taxes due on the IRA they inherit from you within 10 years, thanks to the passage of the "Secure Act."

https://www.kiplinger.com/article/retirement/t047-c022-s004-secure-act-threatens-ira-rules-that-benefit-heirs.html ​

There are ways you can lessen or eliminate the taxes your heirs will pay when they inherit your IRA - this video provides a "40,000 ft. overview:"
www.safemoneyhouston.com/ira-conversion.html
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6.  Retirees with guaranteed income are HAPPIER and live longer???  Hmmm...
​
www.yahoo.com/finance/news/retirees-guaranteed-income-happier-live-094500484.html
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7.  Several retirement-related links from Kiplinger.com:

Myth Busters - Examine The Facts About Fixed Index Annuities:
www.kiplinger.com/retirement/annuities/601969/myth-busters-examining-the-facts-about-index-annuities

Turned Off By Low CD Rates?  Consider a MYGA (Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuity):
www.kiplinger.com/retirement/annuities/601822/turned-off-by-low-cd-rates-consider-a-fixed-annuity

Does Your Retirement Plan Guard Against "The Survivor Trap?"
www.kiplinger.com/retirement/retirement-planning/601958/does-your-retirement-plan-guard-against-the-survivor-trap

When It Comes To Retirement, You Don't Know What You Don't Know - 12 Things You Didn't Know About Annuities...
www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/retirement/t003-s014-12-things-you-didn-t-know-about-annuities/index.html

More links from Kiplinger re: retirement planning:
www.kiplinger.com/retirement/annuities?page=1
​www.kiplinger.com/retirement/annuities?page=2
​www.kiplinger.com/retirement/annuities?page=3
www.kiplinger.com/retirement/annuities?page=4
all the way to page=11
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8.  Annuities - Good deal for women??

https://www.kiplinger.com/article/retirement/t003-c032-s014-annuities-could-be-especially-good-deal-for-women.html
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9.  Annuity - Investment or Insurance?

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10.  Planning for Medical Expenses In Retirement:
www.investopedia.com/retirement/how-plan-medical-expenses-retirement/

At some point in the past, between 2008 and now, you:

a) heard my"Safe Money" radio show & called for more information,
b) replied to an ad on the Internet or in "The Houston Chronicle," or
c) attended one of my retirement seminars.

I realize that you may not know anything about me or my business, so I’ve written this note to provide some details.

I'm the owner of Conservative Retirement Solutions, LLC, a retirement planning company that’s been in business since 2004.  We cater exclusively to clients who want “safe, secure and guaranteed” retirements. 

 Because of this, we do not offer stocks, mutual funds, bonds or any type of  “investment” in which our clients’ money is “at risk” in the stock market. 

Simply put, our clients a) don’t want to risk losing any of their retirement money, and b) they don’t want to risk the possibility of “outliving their money.”

So, instead of worrying about the risks of losing money in the stock market or running out of money during retirement, our clients  transferred those risks, at no cost, to A-rated “legal reserve” insurance companies that provide contractual guarantees against any loss, and against the possibility of outliving their money.

Think about this – you and I use insurance companies every day (auto, health, homeowners, etc.) to protect us from various unexpected losses – our clients have simply “transferred their retirement risks” to A-rated life insurance companies.

When our clients do this, they permanently eliminate the following retirement risks:

•  “Longevity Risk” – risk of outliving their money
• “Market Risk” – risk of losing money
• “Withdrawal Rate Risk” – risk of withdrawing too much money

Please visit our company’s website, www.SafeMoneyHouston.com.  The website has 60+ videos to help you learn about the various “Safe Money” financial options and products available to you.

You may find the video linked below interesting – it’s a type of “Annuities 101” video and gives a good overview of the different types of annuities – from immediate to deferred, and Fixed versus Variable:

Here’s the address:  https://www.safemoneyhouston.com/annuity-primer.html

Here’s a link to the Texas Department of Insurance so you can "look me up:"
https://txapps.texas.gov/NASApp/tdi/TdiARManager 
My Last Name:  Dennis
My First Name:  William
My Middle Name:  Richard

My personal license #:  1281501 - license issued 07/01/2004 
My corporate license #: 2022462 - license issued 08/12/2015

============================ 
Conclusion
Fixed Annuities are NOT "investments" - they are "risk transfer" financial products that provide the following contractually guaranteed benefits which are not available with stocks and mutual funds:

a) No stock market losses, ever, and
b) Guaranteed “private pension” paycheck that cannot be outlived (with the remaining balance in the account passing to your heirs outside of probate).

There’s lots of “fake news” in the media about annuities - I challenge you to “A.M.A.” (Ask Me Anything) about annuities – let’s get facts separated from fiction.   I’ll be happy to answer any and all questions about annuities.

If you like financial risk, I'm sorry, but you won't find it here.  But, if you're tired of thinking about the four-letter word "R-I-S-K" and you'd like to protect & guarantee your retirement savings, you've found a home...

If you’re currently not one of our clients, my question to you is simply this:

“What’s keeping you from having your own safe, secure and guaranteed retirement?”

Give me a call or send me an email with your answer...

I really do look forward to hearing from you with your “A.M.A.” annuity questions.

I hope this note has helped you learn more about what we do and who our customers are at Conservative Retirement Solutions, LLC.

Best regards,

Rick Dennis

P.S. - If you'd like to ask your "A.M.A." annuity questions anonymously, click the link here:  https://www.safemoneyhouston.com/contact.html

It'll take you to the "Contact Us" form on our website - you can enter any name & email in the form's fields (real or fake), and then ask your question in the "Comment" field and click the "Submit" button. 
​
The completed form will come directly to me, and I'll compile and answer all anonymous questions in the next email I send out...  (of course, if you enter your actual name & email, I'll answer your question directly.)
​

Here's something to ponder - you can get a guarantee on a tube of toothpaste and a loaf of bread, but your Retirement Savings account doesn't offer any guarantees?? 

​Huh???

Take 7 minutes and learn how you can receive:
1.  a 'no-loss' guarantee for your life savings, and
2.  a guaranteed monthly "private pension"  deposit, every month, for the rest of your life & the life of your spouse.

(segment from radio show in 2017)

(This post has been updated from the original post of 12/23/2018)
=========================
Everybody wants "it" when they retire, but many people retiring today don't have "it."

Our parents had "it" when they retired - "it" is a specific type of annuity known as a pension, and our parents received a guaranteed monthly income from "it" until they passed on.

Most people retiring today receive monthly payments for the rest of their lives from another example of an annuity, i.e. Social Security...

Corporate pensions and Social Security are two examples of specific types of annuities known as an "income annuities." 

All annuities do what no other financial instrument on the planet can do - they provide a guaranteed income for the rest of your life and the life of your spouse.

==================
People tell me all the time - "Rick, I hate annuities!" 

Oh, really??   

You're telling me that you hate getting guaranteed income every single month, like clockwork, until you and your spouse pass on???   

Really??

What I've found is that people don't have all the facts about annuities, and that's where I come in...  One of my jobs is helping people educate themselves about retirement options they may not know about, such as Fixed Annuities. 

I've been helping people learn about "it" for 16 years now, since 2004 - take a moment and check out this informative article that's all about "it:"

https://www.kiplinger.com/article/retirement/T003-C032-S014-seeking-guaranteed-lifetime-income-join-the-club.html

Check out the link below for a short video that provides information about "it." 
https://www.safemoneyhouston.com/annuity-primer.html

Here's a link that deals specifically with setting up your own "private pension."
https://www.safemoneyhouston.com/create-a-private-pension.html

Here's an example of a common problem I help my fellow Boomers permanently solve:

Many people retiring today have guaranteed income from Social Security, but they don't have a corporate pension, and often the monthly Social Security deposit isn't sufficient to cover their basic monthly expenses.

​What they may not realize is this:  they can create their own "private pension" that pays a specific monthly amount, either the same amount every month or increasing, and when it's added to the Social Security deposits, the person's or couple's basic living expenses are now covered - those deposits will happen, every month, for the rest of their lives.

The possibility of outliving their money has been eliminated!
================
When we retire, we're "flying blind" about many things... For example, we don't know:

a) how long we'll live
b) what the stock market's going to do, and
c) how much we can withdraw from our 401(k) every month & not run out of money    
======================
If your Social Security pension isn't quite enough to cover 100% of your monthly basic living expenses, and you're tired of "flying blind," you can use a small portion of your retirement account to create the additional guaranteed monthly income you and your spouse need. 

Then, you'll know, with 100% certainty, that your basic monthly living expenses are covered, no matter how long you live and regardless of the investment returns your retirement accounts receive.

Got questions about "it?"  Give me a call, reply to this email or fill out the form below....

Best regards, 

​Rick

I'm in the process of obtaining my R.I.C.P. (Retirement Income Certified Professional) designation (https://www.theamericancollege.edu/designations-degrees/ricp), and I saw a PDF I thought may be of interest to you... 

Not exactly fun stuff to read, but it's still information we need to learn about and ponder...

The PDF outlines 18 risks we face in retirement - some of them you know about, but there may be some risks you haven't considered...

Here's the link:

Give me a call, send a reply in the box below or send an email with any questions you may have...

Best regards and Merry Christmas,

​Rick Dennis
 rick@SafeMoneyHouston.com
(713) 206-3885
​(832) 356-SAFE (7233)

Click the link below to download the 120 page PDF "Medicare & You 2020" from the Department of Health and Human Services...

I thought you might find the information useful - feel free to forward it to any friend who may be looking for this information as we head into 2020.

Merry Christmas & Best Wishes To You & Your Family,

​Rick Dennis

Check out the screenshot below - it's the Data Entry screen for a proprietary website that lets you and me see, on one screen, the guaranteed lifetime income the top 10 annuity carriers will pay you (and, if you're married, your spouse) for the rest of your life.

If you've ever thought about the idea of receiving a guaranteed monthly "paycheck for life," and you've wondered how much you'd get, you can know the answer with 100% certainty...  but, there is one question you have to answer:

Do you have 30 seconds to spare?

That's how much time it takes to enter the following information into the fields shown on the screenshot:

1. Premium - the amount to be deposited (you still own & control the money)​
2. Qualification - is the money "Qualified" (IRA, 401(k), TSP, etc) or "Non-Qualified?"
3. Payout - "Single" or "Joint," i.e. guaranteed lifetime income for just you, or for you and your spouse
4. Age - Your current age and, if choosing "Joint" payout, the current age of your spouse
5. Click on "Generate"

When we click "Generate," the next screen shows you the guaranteed lifetime incomes from the top 10 annuity carriers:

• across the top of the report, you'll see the names of the top 10 annuity carriers that are competing for your business
• as we move down the page, we'll see what each carrier will pay you, depending on when you think you'll start receiving your lifetime income - the longer you wait to begin your lifetime income, the higher the guaranteed payments will be, and you can see these results immediately, for all 10 carriers
• whether you want to start your guaranteed lifetime income immediately, in 5 years or even wait 20 years, you'll be able to compare the top 10 carriers instantly to see which company will pay you the highest guaranteed lifetime income!

When you look at the report, you'll instantly know, with 100% certainty, what your guaranteed lifetime income WILL BE at any point in the future - not what it COULD BE  or MIGHT BE... 

How does that compare to your current financial plan?  Does your current plan offer a "paycheck for life" plan?

So... the question still remains:

​"Do you have 30 seconds to spare?"

The #1 fear of the Baby Boomers is the fear of outliving our money, and a contractually guaranteed "paycheck for life" solves that problem... permanently.

Annuities are the only financial instruments able to provide a guaranteed check every month, no matter how long a person or a couple lives, thus eliminating the risk of outliving one's money.

Perhaps you'd like to "kick the tires" and run some "what-if" scenarios - at 30 seconds per scenario, we can run as many as you like.

Unlike illustrations and scenarios that rely on assuming various stock market returns to show outcomes with varying probabilities of success, EVERY answer from EVERY annuity carrier shown on the report is contractually guaranteed, so you're able to  compare "apples to apples" and see which A-rated carrier will pay the highest guaranteed lifetime income to you and your spouse...

 So... if the idea of eliminating, once and for all, the risk of outliving your money sounds interesting, or if you'd like to "kick the tires," run some "what-if"scenarios and see which company will give you the best deal on a guaranteed monthly check for a specific amount, give me a call, send an email or click the link below & fill out the form. 

We'll enter your data into the fields, click "Generate," and you'll immediately be able to compare the results from the "top 10" annuity providers - it really is just that simple...

https://www.safemoneyhouston.com/contact.html

There's no cost or charge - only answers...

Best regards,

Rick Dennis
Conservative Retirement Solutions, LLC
1800 St. James Place, Suite 325
Houston, TX  77056
(713) 206-3885
​
"Your Retirement... Insured & Guaranteed!"

I'm a client of Ed Slott, "America's IRA Expert,"  and I recently received the following info from his office...  I thought you might find the information useful.

Ed is suggesting that you take some time during the holidays to review & discuss your financial & estate plans with your spouse and family members... 

Want to be remembered after you're gone?

Scroll down to read about a gift idea that literally "keeps on giving" year after year, even after you've passed on! 

Gift Annuities can be set up for any special occasion, and the recipients (your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc.) will receive a check from you every month, every quarter or every year for the rest of his/her life.

Questions?  Call me or send me an email - I look forward to hearing from you and getting your questions answered.

Best regards,
Rick