Bond Ladders & Income Annuities: Restoring the Sanctity of Fixed Income
In a nutshell: Income annuities and bond ladders are fixed income investments, but I find they are under-utilized as tools for financial planning (especially with respect to retirement income). I spent some time on Google, but could not ascertain the origins of the term fixed income. Presumably, it was just a simple description given to investments where all of the Continue Reading

Optimizing Fixed Annuity Tax Deferral
Annuities are popular tools for retirement income planning. While stigmas exist around some annuity products (for good reason), recent research shows how fixed annuities can add value in the context of retirement income. In addition to being able to guarantee income for life, tax benefits are often advertised as a key advantage of using annuities. This article discusses the mechanics Continue Reading

Dividends: Theory and Empirical Evidence
Building on the concepts presented in our Dividends Are Different article, here we present data and observations highlighting how dividends can protect investors from inflation and market volatility. While this content is relevant to other applications, we focus on it within the context of retirement income. When designing portfolios to provide for retirement, conventional wisdom holds that allocations to stocks Continue Reading