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Planning how to convert your retirement savings into reliable monthly income is one of the most consequential financial decisions you’ll make. Get it right, and you can cover your essential expenses for life — regardless of how long you live or what the market does. Get it wrong, and you risk outliving your money.
We’ve assembled four downloadable resources below to help you think through retirement income planning with more confidence. These guides range from peer-reviewed academic research to practical worksheets — covering how annuities fit into a broader income strategy, the math behind why they work, and how to calculate whether guaranteed income makes sense for your situation.
Free Downloads: Retirement Income Planning Resources
Each resource below is available as a free PDF download. No email required — just click the button to open or save.
Creating Retirement Income with Annuities
A comprehensive visual guide to building a retirement paycheck using annuities. Covers how income annuities work, how to layer guaranteed income with other retirement assets, and real-world examples of income strategies for different retirement timelines. Originally published by Securian Financial.
📋 Industry Reference Guide
🎓 Intermediate
Retirement Income Planner Worksheet
A fillable PDF worksheet to map out your retirement income picture. Enter your Social Security estimate, pension income, and investment assets to see how large an income gap you need to fill — and how an annuity could close it. Designed for pre-retirees ages 55–70 with $100,000+ in savings.
✏️ Interactive Worksheet
🎓 Beginner
2025 Retirement Income Planning Booklet — Insured Retirement Institute
A 34-page research booklet from the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI), the industry’s leading trade association. Covers 2025 consumer confidence data, retirement income shortfall statistics, annuity ownership trends, and legislative updates affecting retirement planning. Essential reading for anyone researching the annuity market.
📊 IRI Research Report | 2025
🎓 Intermediate–Advanced
Fixed Indexed Annuities: Consider the Alternative — Roger G. Ibbotson, PhD
Peer-reviewed research from Roger Ibbotson — Professor Emeritus of Finance at Yale School of Management and Chairman of Zebra Capital Management — examining the mathematical case for fixed indexed annuities as a portfolio asset. Using historical return data, Ibbotson’s analysis shows how FIAs compare to bonds and balanced portfolios on a risk-adjusted basis, and why they merit serious consideration in retirement allocation decisions. One of the most-cited academic papers in the annuity field.
🔬 Academic Research | Roger Ibbotson / Yale
🎓 Advanced
How to Use These Resources Together
Each resource serves a different purpose in your research process. Here’s a suggested reading order:
- Start with the IRI booklet if you want the big picture — current market data, what other retirees are doing, and what advisors are recommending in 2025.
- Read the Creating Retirement Income guide to understand how annuities actually work within a retirement income plan — product mechanics, income timing, and laddering concepts explained visually.
- Use the worksheet to apply the concepts to your own situation — enter your numbers to see your actual income gap and whether an annuity is worth exploring.
- Read the Ibbotson whitepaper if you want the academic and mathematical foundation — particularly useful if you’re evaluating fixed indexed annuities and want peer-reviewed data to share with your financial advisor.
If you’re ready to compare actual annuity rates after reviewing these resources, our live MYGA rate comparison tool shows current rates from A-rated carriers, updated every 6 hours.
What Is Retirement Income Planning?
Retirement income planning is the process of figuring out how to replace your paycheck after you stop working. Most retirees draw from three sources: Social Security, personal savings, and any pensions or guaranteed income products they own.
The challenge: Social Security typically covers only 40% of pre-retirement income for average earners, and fewer than 15% of private-sector workers have a traditional pension today. That leaves a significant gap most retirees must fill from savings — savings that need to last 20–30 years.
Annuities address this gap directly. A Single Premium Immediate Annuity (SPIA) can convert a lump sum into guaranteed lifetime income. A MYGA can lock in a guaranteed rate during the accumulation phase — useful if you’re 5–10 years from retirement and want to preserve capital while earning predictable interest.
Who Should Download These Resources?
These guides are designed for people within 10 years of retirement who are actively thinking about income planning. They’re especially relevant if you:
- Have $100,000 or more in retirement savings and aren’t sure how to turn it into income
- Want to understand how annuities compare to bonds, CDs, and dividend stocks as income sources
- Are trying to figure out how much guaranteed income you actually need versus how much you want
- Have a financial advisor who mentions annuities and you want to understand what they’re recommending before your next meeting
For a deeper explanation of how annuities work, see our Annuity 101 Complete Guide. For current rate data, see our live rate center.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these PDF downloads free?
Yes. All four resources are available as free PDF downloads — no email address or registration required. Click the download button on any resource to open it in your browser or save it to your device.
What is the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI)?
The Insured Retirement Institute is the leading trade association for the retirement income industry. Its members include annuity carriers, broker-dealers, asset managers, and financial advisors. IRI publishes research on consumer retirement confidence, annuity sales data, and legislative developments affecting retirement savers.
How do I know if an annuity fits my retirement income plan?
Start with the Retirement Income Planner Worksheet above — it walks you through calculating your expected income from Social Security and other sources, then shows your income gap. If your gap is large and you value certainty over flexibility, an annuity (particularly a SPIA or MYGA) may be worth exploring. For personalized recommendations, consult a licensed insurance professional in your state.
Where can I compare current annuity rates?
AnnuityJournal.org maintains a live rate comparison tool that shows current MYGA rates from A-rated carriers, updated every 6 hours. Visit our Best MYGA Rates page to compare rates by term and carrier.
Disclaimer: The resources on this page are for educational purposes only. AnnuityJournal.org is an independent educational resource and does not sell annuities or provide financial advice. For personalized recommendations, consult a licensed insurance professional in your state.
