Shawn Tromiczak's Story

In the summer of 2008 I 'retired' from a career I had enjoyed for over eight-years. Experts say my toddler son will 'retire' from dozens of careers over the course of his working life. So, the definition of "retirement planning" may be broader than its typical application. To a degree, I fit the very same profile at age 35 as members "the Greatest Generation" fit at ages 55, 65 and 75. I had left a career with a company with good retirement benefits; namely, a 401k in my situation, although those members have (deservedly) pensions and other retirement benefit plans.

Nonetheless, for the first time I was empowered to make choices about how I wanted my retirement dollars to work for me. This is the story of choices I made in an effort to illustrate the benefits I have already realized and to lend insight as to one option you may consider for your personal "Safe Money."

401K Rollover in a Fixed Indexed Annuity vs S&P 500

This graph illustrates two benefits I considered when choosing to use a Fixed Indexed Annuity for a portion of my retirement income planning: First, on my issue date of September 9, 2008 – my 401k rollover earned an immediate 4% interest Bonus that was locked in and could never lose value. Second, while the actual S&P Index dropped from its highest point (9/8/08) to 17% lower in just one month (10/8/08) and fluctuated throughout the year – with its lowest point of nearly 37% less, in February of 2009 – my Fixed Indexed Annuity value remained steady at a level 4% higher than where it began and additional interest was credited on my 2009 anniversary date.