Here is the retirement fear almost nobody plans for: running out of money before you run out of life. It is not a fringe worry. Nearly 6 in 10 Gen X workers say they are concerned about outliving their savings, and among Boomers and Gen X investors, 54% share that fear, up 6 points in a single year.
WHY THE WORRY IS RATIONAL
We are in the middle of "Peak 65," with more than 4 million Americans turning 65 every year, many without a pension. A 65-year-old today can easily live into their 90s. That is potentially 30 years of retirement to fund from savings that were never designed to stretch that far.
HOW ANNUITIES SOLVE IT
An annuity is a contract with an insurer that guarantees income, either for a set period or for the rest of your life, no matter how long that is. It is the one financial product that can truly eliminate longevity risk, and unlike the market, the income does not stop when stocks drop. Americans are responding: annuity sales hit a record $461 billion in 2025, roughly double the level from five years earlier.
THE GAP
Here is the disconnect. While 9 in 10 investors recognize annuities can reduce this risk, fewer than 1 in 5 pre-retirees actually own one. There are several types (fixed, indexed, immediate, variable), each serving a different purpose, so structuring the right one takes expertise.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Annuities are not right for everyone or every dollar, but for guaranteed income you can't outlive, nothing else does the job. At Grandbay Financial Services, retirement planning is a core specialty. Reach out and let's build your roadmap.
Sources: LIMRA and Alliance for Lifetime Income 2025 data; LIMRA 2025 annuity sales results.