YOUR NEXT STEPS

What steps can you take along the way to make sure you have a comfortable, secure retirement?

Here are some specific things you can do throughout your life to make sure you get the most out of your retirement years.


Women in their 20s and 30s

Women in their 30s and 40s

Women in their 40s and 50s

Women in their 50s and 60s

Women in their 20s and 30s   top

• Start now - One of the smartest things you can do to prepare for a secure retirement is to start early. Start small, it’s ok! Take advantage of any employer plans like 401K’s . Starting earlier with less money can be more profitable than starting later with more money.
• Buy life insurance - If you are starting a family, buying a house, or paying off student loans or credit cards, now is a great time to start thinking about life insurance. If anything should happen to you, you don’t want to burden those you love with debt. Life insurance can help provide them with a fresh financial start.
  
  
  
  

Women in their 30s and 40s top

• College Education – If you have children, you’re probably thinking about things like a college education for your kids. But remember other long-term planning. Do you have continuing education dreams yourself? What are your long-term and short-term savings goals? Now’s a good time to re-evaluate your plan.
• Insurance for you and, if you’re married, your husband - It’s important to make sure you have life insurance. It’s much easier and cheaper to get this insurance when you are young and don’t have any health conditions.
• Consider adding annuities to the mix - In addition to 401Ks, and IRA’s, consider annuities. Annuities can be a great choice for letting money grow tax deferred and providing options like guaranteed income for life.
• Ask yourself the hard questions.   While there are several components to creating a retirement strategy, there are two key questions that you need to ask yourself for long term care planning. 
  
  1.  "How would you pay for extended care?" - You plan to live a long and productive life and at some point you may need care in your home or in a facility. 
  
  2.  "What impact would needing long term care have on your family?" - Would your family members provide care?  Is that something they could physically - and emotionally - do for several years?
  
  
  
  

Women in their 40’s and 50’s top

• Your life today is all about options.   From where you work to the type of car you drive, right down to the personalized coffee you drink in the morning.  So it's only natural that you want a range of choices when it comes to the future.  A long term care discussion should be part of any financial or retirement strategizing session.  Talk to your financial advisors and find out which long term care options are best for you.
• Your own life insurance - At this point in life, many people are changing jobs or starting second careers or starting their own businesses. This is an important time to make sure you have proper life insurance. If your life insurance was through work, this is a great time to make sure you have your own life insurance that can follow you anywhere you go.
  
  
  

Women in their 50’s and 60’s top

• Guaranteed income through annuities - At this point you may be more concerned about market fluctuations. Annuities can help mitigate the risk of a market downturn and provide guaranteed income for life.
• Life insurance check-up – divorce and/or becoming a widow are things you may experience, and therefore, should consider planning for. Now is the time to make sure if something happened to either one of you, especially him, that there is enough money there for the family left behind. Can you rely on pensions/social security? Now is the time to make sure you have those answers.
• You've worked carefully to enjoy a comfortable, made-to-order retirement.   You've mapped out where and when you want to travel.  You have designed your ideal retirement home, right down to the wireless Internet connection and automated controls.  You've even arranged to leave something for the next generation.  Now it's time to include a long term care strategy in your life.  Because without it, all of your strategizing could be incomplete. 
  

Withdrawals/surrender have the effect of reducing the contract value and any death benefits.  Withdrawals/surrenders of taxable amounts are subject to ordinary income tax and, if taken prior to age 59 ^1/2 an additional 10% federal penalty tax may apply.  Surrender charges may also apply.

All guarantees are based on the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.

Annuities are long-term investments designed for retirement purposes.