William Bengen is considered the father of the systematic withdrawal theory. Bengen, in his extensive research, tested hundreds of portfolios to create a standard portfolio withdrawal rate that would survive portfolio failure. His research concluded that a 4% percent withdrawal rate was safe. He dubbed it the SAFEMAX rate. It also supported the assumption that a well-funded [...]

You've likely heard of the 4% rule. William Bengen came up with it as he tried to answer the two most common questions his clients asked him. Those questions were: How much should I save for retirement? How much can I spend in retirement without running out of money? He could give no clear answers [...]

Being in the Insurance Industry over the last 20 plus years and offering products that directly compete with the products being provided by Financial Advisors, there are several objections that I routinely hear from people looking at Annuities as an alternative to keeping their money at risk in the Market. Recently I had someone say [...]

"Conventional financial wisdom says people should only purchase annuities shortly after they retire, around ages 65-75. But, conventional wisdom may not be right for everyone."- Ed Hochard In general, people tend to purchase an annuity product at retirement time or less than a year after they quit working. One reason for waiting is that it [...]