The Coutts Group

For the past 26 years we have specialized in helping individuals, families, and businesses eliminate risk and add certainty to their financial portfolios.

We use safe money, insurance backed solutions.

If you have concerns with your retirement portfolio, are looking to add certainty or safe money options, or are looking for alternatives to the low savings rates at the bank, we may have something that may be of interest to you.

We have one of the highest multi year guaranteed rate annuity products available in the market...much higher than most if not all bank CD's currently...and our annuity is tax deferred unlike a CD which you have to report earnings on every year.

Click the button to send us a message to request more information and we will provide full details.

Each and every week I meet with clients all over the country who are very concerned about their financial future.

Many do not have a real financial plan, instead they have what I refer to as a "financial junk drawer".

They have some financial products, but really have no idea if and how those products work together and whether or not they are on track for retirement.

If you haven't organized your "financial junk drawer", it is time.

We can help.

A blend of stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, etc. can produce an income stream in retirement…but it is NOT guaranteed.

Taking income from these types of accounts can cause account depletion, especially in volatile markets and low return scenarios.

Running out of money in retirement is no one's plan, but without placing safeguards in place it is very possible.

There is no risk based, non-insurance backed portfolio that offers a GUARANTEED lifetime income like an annuity does, period.

Are you confident that your retirement savings will withstand a 25-30 year retirement?

Do you have a plan that GUARANTEES your income in retirement, for you and your spouse or significant other?

Your retirement income strategy should not be left to chance.

You insure our homes against catastrophic loss, but what about your retirement?

I am here to help.

Many Americans are not confident in their retirement plans, yet almost 60% do not have a financial professional to help.

The upward trend in life expectancy has been evident for many years and yet still millions of Americans do little to plan for the large chunk of their lives that will live in retirement.

A survey from Western & Southern Financial Group is the latest to highlight a lack of professional planning – and therefore confidence – in retirement plans with inflation having added a new layer of concern.

For pre-retirees, their greatest fears are running out of money (70%), health care costs (57%), inflation (54%) and Social Security cuts (49%) while those already retired rank Social Security cuts as the largest concern (61%), followed by inflation (60%), running out of money (54%), and healthcare costs (46%).

Six in ten across all age groups do not have a financial professional, although a third are looking for one.

The study also found that the role that annuities play in retirement planning is one area that it not well understood.

We are here to help.

Retirees with more guaranteed lifetime income spend more in retirement and do so without worrying about running out of money.

They know the guaranteed income will be replaced the next month. They don’t have to worry about changes in the markets or interest rates affecting their ability to spend.

When retirement savings are in investments, no one can be sure how long the money will last and how much can be safely spent each year. Market movements, inflation, interest rates, longevity, and other factors influence how long the money lasts and how much money is available to spend.

Those factors can change quickly and significantly. It’s never clear when changes are temporary or long-term.

People are less confident when there’s so much uncertainty, so they spend less.

There are a few simple ways that most retirees can increase their guaranteed income and therefore their spending safely.

One way is to delay claiming Social Security retirement benefits. Benefits are increased by a certain percentage for each month you delay starting your benefits beyond full retirement age. The benefit increase stops when you reach age 70.

The other way is to increase the amount of retirement savings used to buy annuities with guaranteed lifetime income. For married couples there is an option for joint lifetime income which will cover 2 lives, even on qualified money.

If you would like to learn more, or dive deeper in to how these strategies could work with your situation, we are here to help.

According to data from the Federal Reserve's 2023 Survey of Consumer Finances, the average American family has $62,410 in savings, across savings accounts, checking accounts, money market accounts, call deposit accounts, and prepaid cards. This does not include retirement accounts such as IRAs, 401(k)s, etc.

Most say that you should have a minimum of 3-6 months of living expenses readily available in savings to handle any financial emergencies that can materialize.

How do you stack up?

Are you concerned about how market fluctuations could impact your retirement?

Even if your investments have done well in the past, the unpredictable nature of the market can still pose risks to your financial future.

The fear of losing what you have worked so hard to build, or not having enough to maintain your lifestyle, is a real fear.

Even with a solid plan, today's economic environment requires a strategy that goes the extra mile to protect your wealth from the risks of retirement.

A protected growth strategy is an insurance backed solution that eliminates risk, protects principal, and allows for growth that can not be lessened by the market uncertainties.

In addition, this strategy can offer an option for guaranteed lifetime income as well.

The case for annuities and guaranteed income...

For Phyllis Gresham, 90, of Fort Myers, Fla., relying on annuities to fund her retirement income for life is a no-brainer. The retired nurse practitioner says she lives comfortably without worrying about money because of the income she receives as a result of her late husband putting all his retirement funds into annuities when he retired more than 25 years ago from his career as an academic physician. While she says she has slowed down a bit in the past couple of years, she continues to lead an active life and says having reliable, steady income has enabled her to do the things she enjoys. Money, she says, is “not a worry.”