I Didn’t Know Annuities Could Do That!: Worry-Free Strategies to Thrive in Retirement

FULLY UPDATED for 2026 Tax Laws, New products, etc.

Retirement. One’s Greatest Gamble Is Substituting Hope for a Plan

Hope that stocks won’t ever crash again. Hope that inflation won’t cause your purchasing power to be cut in half over time. Hope that higher taxes won’t cause you to drain your savings quicker than you’d like to maintain your lifestyle. Hope that Social Security won’t run out of money as your annual statement warns.

What’s YOUR plan?

There are only TWO doors to retirement. You will either outlive your money… or your money will outlive you. There is NO THIRD DOOR!

Annuities. You either love them, hate them, or simply don’t know enough about them to decide if one of them may be right for your financial goals! This book teaches how, when used as intended, annuities can make a dramatic difference in your retirement success by avoiding all market losses and using the proven mathematics of actuarial science.

** Learn how some accumulation annuities can trounce the returns of bonds without the risks inherent in bonds.

** See how using a few annuities with attractive GUARANTEED LIFETIME INCOME can provide higher income with a substantially lower investment than required for the “4% rule.”

** Discover a simple withdrawal strategy that eliminates or greatly reduces the Sequence of Returns Risk that could cause you to outlive your money.

** Uncover little-known Special Situation annuities worth knowing about

Annuities are not perfect. No place to invest is. But smart folks are not only interested in annuities… but are buying them in droves.

“Total U.S. annuity sales were $432.4 Billion in 2024, up 12% from 2023. This represents the highest annual annuity sales since 2008 and the third highest sales recorded in history,” according to the Secure Retirement Institute (SRI). This is the third year of record-high annuity sales.

“Annuity sales broke another record in the third quarter (2023) as investor interest in guaranteed income and safety of principal remained robust.” - Investment News Magazine

My clients purchase an annuity(s) for one or more of these three reasons:
1) safe growth of their savings
2) a generous guaranteed lifetime income (single or joint lives)
3) tax-deferral

Although all annuities offer valuable tax deferral by law, some few annuities stand out above the rest for either one of those financial goals (#1 or #2). And this book will explain how some of them can do that to safely improve one’s retirement

There are literally 1,000s of annuities issued by over 100 insurance companies in the U.S. But not all annuity policies are great. Most, in my opinion, are not even good—short-selling the buyer of better benefits available elsewhere.

In my 6th book about retirement income planning — I Didn’t Know Annuities Could Do That! — I wanted to continue educating people on how some annuities, when used properly, can truly transform and improve their retirement in multiple ways.

My financial planning practice and this book are centered on these firm beliefs:
1) People should not pay a dime more in taxes than the law requires
2) Nor should they take an ounce more risk than necessary to reach their financial goals.

Annuities meet both mantras well and often play a role in my personal client’s retirement plan.

What you don't know could spoil your retirement. Are you ready to learn new strategies to thrive in retirement?