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Welcome to Spring!

"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow."

–Audrey Hepburn

With its blooming flowers, spring is a time of year for new beginnings and hope for the future. At Infinity Credit and Financial Services, we're here to help you financially plan for a bright future.

In the near future, we see... PRIZES! We're excited to announce that we have another drawing planned for our educators. So if you're an educator, be sure to enter! If you know an educator, be sure to forward this email to them so they can enter to win. More details below!

In this issue we're also focusing on fixed index annuities, just one of the many options available for investing in your future. Don't worry, it's not as complicated as it sounds! Scroll down to find out more details.

Reach out to me any time. I'm always available to help you with your financial planning.

Best wishes,

A Fixed Index Annuity is a tax-favored accumulation product that shares features with fixed deferred interest rate annuities.

However, with an index annuity, the annual growth is bench-marked to a stock market index (e.g., Nasdaq, NYSE, S&P500) rather than an interest rate.

An index annuity’s growth is subject to rate floors and caps, meaning it will not exceed or fall below the specified return levels even if the underlying stock indices fluctuate outside of those set parameters.

In simplest terms, the insurance company bears the risk of a sharp stock market decline with this type of annuity. You cannot lose any of your principal with a fixed index annuity, and your potential gains are usually capped at a rate between 3% and 9%. Many fixed index annuities also offer premium bonuses, but usually at the expense of lower potential gains.

Fixed Index Annuities Offer Tax Deferral

One advantage that a fixed index annuity has over a mutual fund or a bank Certificate of Deposit (CD) is that earnings grow on a tax-deferred basis. This means you pay no income taxes until you withdraw money from the annuity. This is especially important when you buy your index annuity with personal savings (so-called after-tax or “non-qualified” funds). Index annuities can also be purchased using rollover funds, funds transferred from a tax-qualified plan (i.e. IRA), or with a lump sum distribution from a 401k or pension plan.

Annuities Offer Guarantees

Fixed index annuities also offer a high degree of safety. Your premium and earnings are guaranteed by the issuing insurance company. Insurance companies are legally required to set aside assets (known as “reserves”) to cover potential claims made by their policyholders. Insurance companies are monitored by rating agencies such as A.M. Best, Standard and Poor’s, and Moody's. By reviewing the ratings an insurance company receives from these agencies, you may be able to determine if it is operating on a sound financial footing.

Want to explore if an annuity might be a good choice for you? Let's chat!

1. Gain Compounded Earnings While Deferring Income Taxes

Earnings within an annuity contract are tax-deferred. This means you don’t pay income taxes on the earnings until you withdraw gains from your account. Therefore, there are no annual 1099 forms to file or earned-interest entries to make on your 1040. Tax deferral also means that annuity earnings do not offset Social Security benefits as with earnings from bonds, CDs, and other investments. Income generated by tax-exempt municipal bonds (for which no federal income tax is due) must be counted to determine any offset to Social Security benefits. Investors with investments currently allocated as “cash” should consider annuities for their tax deferral benefits. Over time, tax-deferred compounding may produce a greater overall return than other non-qualified investments.

2. Earn Higher Interest Rates

Fixed index annuities may credit higher interest rates than bank CDs or fixed interest rate deferred annuities.

3. Make Contributions to Your Tax-Deferred Account

Investors who have maximized contributions to their qualified retirement plans (i.e. 401k, IRAs and pensions) are permitted to contribute without limit to a tax-deferred annuity.

4. Protect Your Principal from Downturns in the Credit Markets

When interest rates trend upward, annuity accounts are insulated from loss of principal; increasing interest rates often negatively impact government bonds and bond mutual funds. Unlike bonds which lose principal value during periods of rising interest rates, the account value of a fixed index annuity is guaranteed. In addition to offering loss protection, if your annuity contract offers annually renewing rates, you may be presented with higher cap rates or participation rates, reflecting increased prevailing interest rates. In short, your principal and earnings are protected no matter what direction interest rates may take.

5. Retire Early Without Penalty

Annuities can offer valuable tax-savings for employees under the age of 59½ who receive large, lump-sum distributions from their 401(k) profit-sharing plans as part of an early retirement or severance package. Such amounts can be “rolled over” into an annuity policy without having to recognize taxable income. Penalty-free withdrawals can then be taken by setting up a program known as “Substantially Equal Periodic Payments” (SEPP). This exemption to the IRS pre-59½ early-withdrawal penalty allows you to withdraw funds from a tax-deferred account you thought couldn’t be touched until retirement!

6. Satisfy Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)

Retirees over the age of 70½ are required to begin taking withdrawals from their IRA or Pension plans, known as Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). The IRS penalty for not doing so is a substantial 50% of any amount that falls short of the Required Minimum Distribution. IRA funds rolled over into a fixed index annuity will be monitored for RMD amounts by the insurance company free of charge. This can save you the annual fee that your accountant or attorney would otherwise charge for making these calculations.

7. Retire With Lifetime Income

Today, a healthy 65 year old male has a 25% chance of living to age 90; a 65 year-old woman is likely to live even longer. Retirees concerned about outliving their investments can protect themselves by creating a guaranteed lifetime income stream.. By “annuitizing” your IRA or fixed index annuity, you can exchange its value for an “immediate annuity” income stream in any of several forms (see earlier discussion on “Immediate Annuities”). Many FIAs offer optional income riders which provide withdrawal benefits similar to immediate annuities. This type of annuity provides you with a monthly check, guaranteed to remain constant over the duration of your lifetime.

8. Create Probate-Free Inheritance

The legal process of going through probate was established to protect a decedent’s estate and to insure its proper distribution to designated heirs. Probate can be a time-consuming and expensive experience for heirs to endure. Purchasing an annuity is one way to protect your beneficiaries from having to undergo this costly delay in estate distribution. Your named beneficiary or beneficiaries are paid directly and promptly, as soon as the insurance company has been notified about your passing.

Ready to talk about annuities?