Many people are shown a product, projection or portfolio before anyone explains what each retirement income option is supposed to do. Create a Pension is a plain-English guide to the tools available (Social Security, savings, pensions, annuities and more), so you can ask better questions and stay in the driver's seat.
Retirement income can feel complicated
There are investments, pensions, Social Security, withdrawals, taxes, required distributions, annuities, real estate, healthcare costs and inflation. Then comes the question almost everyone eventually asks: How much of my savings should become dependable income?
The real problem is the order things happen in
These choices aren't impossible to understand. The problem is that many people are shown a product, projection or portfolio before anyone helps them understand what each option is supposed to accomplish. When you don't know the job a tool is meant to do, it's hard to judge whether it fits.
Why I wrote this book
That's why I wrote Create a Pension: A Simple Guide to Building Retirement Income Your Way. It isn't designed to sell you one answer. It's an easy-to-read guide that helps you explore the tools available, understand their different jobs, and decide what may, or may not, fit your lifestyle.
What the book helps you do
The goal isn't to turn you into a financial professional. It's to help you understand enough to:
- Ask better questions.
- Recognize important tradeoffs, like liquidity, fees, inflation and who carries which risks.
- Work out how much income you may need. The retirement income calculator is a good starting point.
- Separate income money from growth money and emergency money.
- Narrow your choices before trusting anyone with your savings.
If the idea of an "income floor" is new to you, start with Social Security and Annuities: How to Build a Retirement Income Floor and What Is a Retirement Income Gap?
Stay in the driver's seat
Professional guidance may still be valuable. But you should stay in the driver's seat. Discover the Tools. Explore What Fits. Enjoy Your Life.
Create a Pension by Stina Antonopoulos is available now on Amazon. Not ready for the full book? Download the free Retirement Income Cheat Sheet and start comparing your choices. If you'd like to talk it through, book a free Roadmap Call.
Questions people ask
Is Create a Pension about selling annuities?
No. It explains several income tools, including Social Security, savings withdrawals, pensions and annuities, and the tradeoffs of each, so you can decide what fits.
Do I need a financial background to read it?
No. It's written in plain English for people nearing or in retirement.
Where can I buy it?
The paperback is available on Amazon. A Kindle edition is planned.
What's in the free cheat sheet?
A 4-step way to find your income gap, plus 8 questions to ask before buying any annuity.
Free download: The Retirement Income Cheat Sheet. Find your income gap in 4 steps, plus 8 questions to ask before buying any annuity.
This article is general education, not individualized financial, tax or legal advice. Examples are hypothetical. Annuity guarantees are backed by the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company, and annuities have fees, limitations and surrender periods that vary by product.