Annuities Tucson, AZ

One of the most powerful features of certain annuities is the ability to create guaranteed lifetime income—a stream of monthly or annual payments that continues for as long as you live.

For many retirees, the number one fear isn’t market volatility—it’s running out of money. Annuities can help address that concern by providing income that’s designed to keep coming, no matter how long retirement lasts.

This can be especially helpful if you’re no longer working and need reliable income to cover essentials like housing, healthcare, and everyday expenses.

At Ironwood Financial, we help our clients evaluate whether annuities with lifetime income features fit into their broader retirement strategy.

Some annuities offer income riders that provide additional flexibility or joint income options for couples. But these benefits often come with trade-offs, such as fees, reduced liquidity, or complex rules.

That’s why our role is to help you analyze the math, weigh the options, and understand if this type of annuity can assist you in meeting your income needs.

We’re not here to push products—we’re here to help you make informed decisions rooted in long-term planning.

With certain annuities, your money grows on a tax-deferred basis, meaning you don’t pay taxes on any gains, interest, or earnings until you begin taking withdrawals.

For clients who have already maxed out their IRA or 401(k) contributions, annuities can provide an additional layer of retirement-focused savings that grows without being taxed every year.

This allows more of your money to remain invested and potentially increase over time, especially important if you’re thinking long-term about income in your 70s, 80s, or beyond.

At Ironwood Financial, we assist clients in evaluating whether the tax-deferred structure of an annuity adds real value to their plan. While deferring taxes can be a benefit, it’s only helpful if the underlying investment, fees, and withdrawal strategy make sense.

Our approach is to walk you through the numbers, compare the tax impact to other investment options, and help you understand how a tax-deferred annuity could fit into your retirement income strategy.

Our goal isn’t to sell you on annuities—it’s to help you clearly see whether they align with your financial goals.

One of the most commonly overlooked benefits of certain annuities is their ability to protect from market volatility.

For individuals who are approaching or already in retirement, a significant market drop can be more than stressful—it can be devastating to long-term income.

Unlike traditional investments in stocks or mutual funds, fixed annuities and indexed annuities are structured to shield your principal from losses, offering more stability when markets are unpredictable.

That stability can be essential when you’re withdrawing income during retirement.

At Ironwood Financial, we help clients understand when it might make sense to use an annuity to protect a portion of their portfolio from downside risk.

While annuities aren’t completely risk-free—and they do come with trade-offs like surrender charges or limits on growth—the ability to preserve capital in a turbulent market can serve as a valuable piece of a diversified plan.

Our role is to help you compare that trade-off clearly, side-by-side with your other options, so you can decide if using an annuity for risk protection supports your bigger retirement picture.

It’s not about avoiding all risk—it’s about helping you feel more confident through every market cycle.

One of the strengths of many annuities is the ability to customize how and when you receive income. Depending on the type of annuity, you can choose to receive payments monthly, quarterly, or annually—starting right away or at a future date you select.

Some people opt for income that lasts for life, while others may prefer a fixed period, like 10 or 20 years. You can also structure annuities to continue payments for both you and a spouse, providing additional peace of mind in your planning.

At Ironwood Financial, we assist clients in designing a payout structure that matches their real-world needs, not just what the insurance company offers by default.

We’ll walk you through various annuity payout options, help you understand how those decisions affect your flexibility, taxes, and long-term income strategy, and build a plan that reflects your timeline, lifestyle, and family considerations.

Annuities can be rigid if chosen poorly, but when aligned correctly, they can provide income that supports the way you actually want to live.

Certain annuities—particularly fixed annuities and some types of indexed annuities—offer a level of principal protection, meaning the money you put in won’t decrease due to market losses.

For retirees or near-retirees who are no longer in a position to recover from sharp downturns, this feature can offer added stability and a sense of financial control.

Unlike stocks or mutual funds that can fluctuate daily, annuities with principal protection allow you to preserve your original investment while still earning modest returns or interest.

At Ironwood Financial, we help clients determine if principal-protected annuities belong in their retirement strategy. Protection often comes with trade-offs, such as lower growth potential or more extended surrender periods, so it’s critical to understand whether the benefit aligns with your personal goals.

We walk you through the fine print, compare alternatives, and help you decide whether using an annuity to safeguard a portion of your savings can support your broader retirement plan.

Our role isn’t to recommend what’s popular—it’s to help you build a strategy you can count on through all seasons of life.

Annuities can add an essential layer of predictability to your retirement planning—something many people crave when facing the uncertainty of future markets, tax changes, or economic shifts.

Certain types of annuities, such as fixed or indexed annuities, provide clear terms for growth and income, allowing you to plan with more confidence.

Instead of wondering what the market will do next, you can know exactly what income a portion of your portfolio will provide and when it will arrive.

At Ironwood Financial, we work with clients to see if annuities can help reduce guesswork in their long-term plan. Whether you’re building a strategy for age-based income, covering fixed expenses, or coordinating with Social Security, we help model how predictable income from annuities might support your goals.

Our approach is simple: we show you the numbers, explain the trade-offs, and assist you in designing a plan that removes surprises and helps you focus on what really matters in retirement—living with peace of mind, not financial anxiety.

Unlike retirement accounts such as IRAs or 401(k)s, non-qualified annuities do not have annual contribution limits. This means you can put in as much as you’d like, depending on your goals, without being capped by IRS restrictions.

For individuals who have already maxed out their other tax-advantaged accounts, annuities can offer a flexible way to set aside additional funds for future income, especially if you’re focused on creating a predictable cash flow later in life.

At Ironwood Financial, we help clients assess when it makes sense to use annuities as a tool for additional retirement accumulation. While the ability to contribute without limits is appealing, it’s important to weigh that against liquidity needs, tax treatment, and the specific terms of the annuity contract.

We assist you in understanding how much to allocate, how it fits into your broader strategy, and whether annuities are the right fit for your current and future retirement goals.

Our job isn’t to fill contracts—it’s to help you make decisions that strengthen your long-term financial position.

Many annuities offer the ability to add optional riders—custom features that enhance the contract based on your specific goals.

These may include income riders that guarantee lifetime withdrawals, inflation adjustments to help offset rising costs, or even long-term care riders that provide extra income in the event of a health event.

While these features can add flexibility and value, they often come at an additional cost, which is why it’s essential to understand what you’re paying for—and what you’re getting in return.

At Ironwood Financial, we walk clients through each annuity rider option with clarity and transparency. We assist you in evaluating whether these added features support your overall retirement income plan or simply add cost without benefit.

By comparing rider scenarios side by side, we help you make informed decisions that reflect your unique financial situation, not a generic sales pitch.

Our focus is on making sure every dollar you invest in an annuity serves a clear purpose in your long-term plan.

Some annuities include a death benefit feature, which can allow remaining funds in your contract to pass to your heirs.

Depending on the type of annuity, this may involve returning the remaining account value, refunding unused premiums, or providing an enhanced death benefit through a rider.

For individuals who want their unused retirement savings to go to family or loved ones, structuring an annuity with a death benefit can be a way to preserve and pass on part of their financial legacy.

At Ironwood Financial, we help clients evaluate how different annuity contracts handle death benefits—and whether this feature aligns with their estate goals.

We’ll assist you in reviewing payout structures, rider costs, and how annuities fit into your broader estate plan, so you’re not relying on assumptions or product brochures.

We know that legacy planning is personal, and our job is to guide you with care, clarity, and the right financial tools to support what matters most to you.

One of the most practical uses of annuities is to create a third source of retirement income, alongside Social Security and portfolio withdrawals.

When structured correctly, annuities can provide steady, contractual income that doesn’t rely on market performance. This helps reduce pressure on your investment accounts, allowing you to diversify both the source and timing of your income in retirement.

For many clients, this means being able to weather market downturns without having to sell stocks at the wrong time.

At Ironwood Financial, we assist clients in using annuities as part of a broader income diversification strategy. We evaluate how an annuity might complement other income sources, including pensions, dividends, or required minimum distributions.

Instead of guessing or relying on rules of thumb, we model different scenarios to show you exactly how a properly chosen annuity could strengthen your income plan.

Our goal is to help you retire with more control, not more uncertainty.