Best Retirement Investments for a Steady Income Stream

This article was originally published on ETFTrends.com.

By Dana Anspach via Iris.xyz

As you near your 60’s, your prime earning and saving years will transition into a period of time where you get to enjoy the “fruits of your labor,” a.k.a retirement. We call this segueing from accumulation to decumulation, the period when you will be drawing from your accumulated nest egg. You need to find the best retirement investments so that you can generate regular income, without having to go back to work. Here’s an overview of the most popular income-producing retirement investments.

1. Immediate Annuities

Immediate annuities provide guaranteed income immediately (hence the name). They are a form of insurance rather than an investment (but still included here because they provide steady income). A ten-year term-certain annuity, for example, buys a stream of income for ten years. Because immediate annuities start paying out right away, they appeal to people already retired. They are not for everyone – they tie up assets, and you may “lose” money if you die before fully “cashing out.” Immediate annuities may be advantageous if you have trouble staying within your spending limits, cannot stick to an investment plan, or have no monthly sources of income besides Social Security.

2. Bonds

Bonds, individual or bundled in funds, are loans you give to governments, municipalities or corporations that then pay you regular interest. When the bond matures, its face value is returned to you. We often recommend clients purchase bonds in a bond ladder, which is a collection of bonds that have different maturity dates set to match their future cash flow needs. Bonds are a lower-risk option than other investments, which means lower returns (usually). Buy bonds not to grow money but for the regular interest income they produce, and for the guaranteed principal you will receive when they mature.

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