Safety-First Retirement Planning

Archival Summary & Scope

Explore an alternative to market-dependent retirement planning with this guide to the "safety-first" approach. This book demonstrates how establishing a reliable floor of lifetime income, primarily through risk-pooling via insurance products like annuities and whole life insurance, can lead to more efficient and secure retirement outcomes.

Readers will learn how risk-pooling works, its competitive advantages compared to potential stock market returns, and how it can be integrated with traditional investments. The book systematically analyzes three funding methods—bonds, diversified portfolios, and integrated risk-pooling—and provides detailed explanations of various annuity types (simple income, variable, fixed index) and the potential role of whole life insurance in retirement income plans.

Authored by an economics professor and expert in retirement income, this resource empowers retirees to evaluate insurance options and implement integrated strategies to meet financial goals, support legacy plans, and minimize worry.