Like a roller coaster, the financial markets rise and fall. But unlike a carnival ride, you can’t always see the market’s peaks and drops coming. The current financial market is volatile, and there’s no predicting when it will stabilize. This volatility may be tolerable for younger investors who have time to ride out the market’s ups and downs, but retirement-age investors are likely feeling some heartburn.

Retirees are now living longer. That fact, combined with the volatility we are experiencing today, is causing a double-whammy of concerns for retirees who want a reliable income stream, but are also concerned about out-living their savings.

Now is the time for retirement-age investors to consider the stable, guaranteed returns of a Symetra income annuity.

“Longevity can be a blessing if you have both health and money,” says Kim McSheridan, vice president of Income Annuities for Symetra Life Insurance Co. “An income annuity can go a long way in helping your clients make their money last as long as they do, even when markets are turbulent.”

A cure for “emotional investing”
Symetra’s income annuities take the guesswork out of retirement planning. That’s a big selling point for pending retirees who are watching the markets with anxiety.

Market volatility causes many investors to repeatedly shift their investments in the hope that hot and cold investments will even out over time, but this “emotional investing” rarely pays off. Most often, investors end up buying high and selling low.

A fixed income annuity product from Symetra can help provide a stable, tax-favored¹ base of income that retirees can rely on for the rest of their lives. Income can begin immediately or in the future, and clients can select from a variety of payout options to meet their personal income needs.

Not your father’s annuity
The knock against income annuities in the past has been their inflexibility. Earlier incarnations of the product did not address concerns such as cost-of-living increases and access to capital. That has changed.

Placing savings into an income annuity can be intimidating for retirees who are reluctant to tie up their liquid assets. But purchasing an income annuity doesn’t mean giving up the right to access additional funds to cover unexpected costs. Symetra’s Advance Access feature allows clients to receive up to 30 percent of the value of their total future payments, as frequently as every 36 months.²

To help offset cost-of-living increases, Symetra’s Advantage Income annuity offers optional fixed annual increases, up to 6.5 percent each contract year. And our Income Builder annuity includes a built-in, one-time payment increase at the beginning of payment year six.

Part of a portfolio
Income annuities can be sold as a standalone product, but will most often be used as part of a broader retirement portfolio.

“Income annuities offer a convenient way to provide retirement income,” says Symetra’s McSheridan. “A five-year income annuity might be used to fill the income gap between early retirement and their first Social Security check. Or, pre-retirees might want to lock in today to guarantee a specific income stream that starts a few years down the road.”³

Younger investors can be more comfortable with the market’s roller coaster action. But your older clients may enjoy the smoother ride of a Symetra income annuity - and could see better results in the long run.

For more information visit Symetra’s income annuities web site, or contact our Sales Center at invest@symetra.com or 1-800-706-0700.