Everything on this page is reviewed with you over Zoom — or by phone if you prefer. Tele-Wealth planning, no office visit required.
The secret ingredient in the happiest people's retirement plans.
It isn't a hot fund, a bigger balance, or perfect market timing. The happiest retirees share one thing: guaranteed lifetime income covering the bills that have to be paid — so the market can do whatever it wants without changing how they live.
About 3 minutes. No account numbers, no obligation, nothing signed on the first call.
12+ years each
Retirement & income planning experience
3,000+
Retirement income strategies reviewed
$3 billion+
Retirement assets analyzed
Each of our Experts brings at least 12 years of successful college funding and retirement planning experience, beginning with A+ Rated Carrier Training.
What the happiness research keeps finding
Happiness in retirement tracks certainty, not size.
- Retirees with guaranteed income covering essential bills report the highest satisfaction — regardless of portfolio size.
- Financial anxiety in retirement tracks income certainty far more closely than it tracks net worth.
- The retirees who spend most freely are the ones who know the mortgage, food, and utilities are covered no matter what.
- Sequence-of-returns risk hits hardest in the first five years of withdrawals — exactly when guaranteed income does its most protective work.
The ingredient, in three parts
What guaranteed income actually does for a plan.
Principal that market crashes can't touch
The base money behind your essential bills is not exposed to a market drop. In a negative index year the account credits zero instead of subtracting — so a bad decade never turns into a smaller grocery budget.
A paycheck you cannot outlive
Guaranteed lifetime income is the only mathematical hedge for longevity. Stocks, bonds, and CDs can run out; a contractual income stream, backed by the issuing carrier, is designed not to.
Gains that lock in and stay locked
Interest credited in a positive year becomes your new floor. Future market dips cannot take those gains back, which is what turns paper confidence into permission to spend.
Guarantees are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance carrier. Product features, caps, participation rates, and withdrawal rules vary by contract and are reviewed with you in writing before any decision.
Two retirees, the same bad market.
Same savings. Same returns, in the same order. The only difference is where the money for essential bills comes from — and it changes everything about how the next 30 years feel.
Retiree A — market-funded withdrawals
- Draws every dollar of income from an invested portfolio.
- A bad first five years forces selling assets while they're down.
- Cuts spending, delays travel, and re-runs the numbers every quarter.
- Cannot answer the one question that matters: what if I live to 95?
Retiree B — essentials covered by guaranteed income
- Essential bills are covered by Social Security plus contractual lifetime income.
- The same bad market is uncomfortable — but it never touches the grocery money.
- Spends the growth bucket on purpose, because the floor is already funded.
- Longevity becomes a blessing to plan for instead of a risk to fear.
60-second income gap check
How big is the gap between your bills and your guaranteed income?
Six questions. No contact details, no account numbers — your result appears right here on the page.
0 of 6 answered
1. When does your retirement paycheck need to start?
2. How much of your essential monthly bills are covered by guaranteed income today?
Social Security, pensions, and any annuity income you already own.
3. Do you have a cash buffer for a down market year?
4. Do you know the withdrawal rate your savings can support?
5. How is your money split across account types?
Pretax 401(k)/IRA, Roth, and taxable brokerage.
6. Has anyone mapped Roth conversions or RMDs for you?
Your information stays private
We never sell your information. It is used only to prepare your review and to match you with a licensed Expert.
No obligation, ever
The review and your Retirement Income Score are free. There is nothing to buy and no commitment to move any money.
You control the contact
We ask for account numbers only if you choose to move forward, and you can ask us to stop contacting you at any time.
By submitting a form you agree that My IRA Hero and the licensed Expert matched to you may contact you by phone, email, or text about your request. Message frequency varies; consent is not a condition of purchase. Reply STOP to opt out. See our Privacy Policy and SMS Terms. Educational information only — not tax, legal, or investment advice.
Is a retirement income plan right for me?
- How do I know if I need a written income plan?
- If you are within about ten years of drawing from your savings, or already drawing, you need one. The decisions that matter — which account to withdraw from first, when to claim Social Security, how much to keep in cash — all interact, and guessing at them is what shortens the money.
- Do I have to buy a product to get the plan?
- No. The framework on this page is built from your own numbers first. Whether any guaranteed-income vehicle belongs in it is a separate question answered after the plan is written, and only for the portion that must cover essential bills.
- What if most of my money is in a pretax 401(k) or IRA?
- Then tax sequencing is likely your biggest lever. Roth conversions in low-income years and smoothing future RMDs can change your lifetime tax bill materially — but only if they are scheduled before the RMD years begin.
- Can this be done without meeting in person?
- Yes. Every plan is built and reviewed by video or phone — Tele-Wealth planning — with your numbers on screen as we build them. Nothing is signed on the first call.
General education, not a recommendation. Suitability depends on your accounts, age, tax bracket, and income timeline.
Straight answers before you book
What is the secret ingredient in the happiest people's retirement plans?
Guaranteed lifetime income. Retirement satisfaction research consistently finds that retirees whose essential bills are covered by income they cannot outlive — Social Security, a pension, or an annuity — report the highest confidence and the lowest financial anxiety, even when their total savings are smaller than their peers'.
Is this just an annuity pitch?
No. The review starts with your own numbers: essential expenses, existing guaranteed income, and the gap between them. Whether a guaranteed-income vehicle belongs in your plan is answered after that math, and only for the portion of your budget that must be covered no matter what the market does.
How much of my savings would need to be involved?
Usually only the slice required to cover essential bills the rest of your income sources do not already cover. The remainder stays invested for growth, liquidity, and legacy. We show you both sides of that split before anything is recommended.
Do I have to meet in person?
No. Every review is done by Zoom or phone — Tele-Wealth planning — with your numbers on screen as we build them. Nothing is signed on the first call.
Pick your time
Book your free 15-minute Tele-Wealth call
A Retirement Expert matched to income planning will show you the gap between your essential bills and your guaranteed income — and what it would take to close it. No account numbers, no obligation, nothing signed on the first call.
We don't randomly assign you to whoever is available. We review your questionnaire answers and match you with an experienced Retirement Hero who can best address your situation — then they stay with you from there.
Loading available times…
How we vet our bench
Five checks before your Expert ever calls you.
Retirement decisions are long-term commitments. The professional you meet with should be held to a long-term standard. Every Expert we assign has cleared all five of these before an introduction is made.
01Active state license, verified
Every Expert holds a current life and health insurance license in the state where you live. We confirm the license before any introduction is made — you are never handed to someone who cannot legally advise you where you are.
0212+ years of retirement planning experience
We work with specialists, not generalists. Each Expert brings at least 12 years of successful college funding and retirement planning experience, beginning with A+ Rated Carrier Training.
03Background and disciplinary screening
Every Expert is screened against public regulatory and complaint records. Prior disciplinary action, a license suspension, or an unresolved client complaint disqualifies a professional from our bench.
04Best-interest standard
Recommendations must fit your financial situation, your timeline, and your goals — not the highest-commission product available. Anything discussed is disclosed to you in plain language first.
05Annual re-verification
Vetting is not a one-time check at onboarding. Licensing and disciplinary records are re-verified every year, and any Expert whose record changes is paused from assignment while we review.
No cost, no obligation: your analysis and 15-minute Tele-Wealth call are free. Your information is never sold, and you are introduced to one matched Expert — not auctioned to a list of them.
Client stories
Families who found the ingredient
“For the first time in 20 years, someone actually returned my calls the same day. We rolled over both old 401(k)s and finally understand our income plan.”
“My previous advisor gave me a template. My IRA Hero gave me a plan for my life — including a tax strategy no one had ever mentioned.”
“They said no to a product that would've paid them more, because it wasn't right for us. That's when we knew we'd found the right team.”
Testimonials reflect experiences shared by clients and family members; individual results vary and are not a guarantee of future outcomes. Names shortened for privacy.
The Advisors We Recommend All Work With Top-Rated Insurance Companies
Carrier logo scrolling playing.
- Allianz Life
- Corebridge Financial
- EquiTrust Life
- Global Atlantic
- North American
- Pacific Life
- MassMutual
- American Equity
- Mutual of Omaha
- Symetra
- Jackson National
- Protective
- Transamerica
- Securian Financial
- Ameritas
- Equitable
Disclosure: Carrier names and logos are shown for identification and reference purposes only. Their appearance here does not constitute an endorsement, recommendation, sponsorship, or approval of My IRA Hero, its advisors, or any strategy discussed on this site, and it does not imply any affiliation, partnership, or agency relationship with these companies.
Results are not guaranteed. Nothing on this page is a solicitation for any specific product, a projection of future performance, or a promise of any particular outcome. Product availability, features, riders, and rates vary by carrier, state, age, health, and suitability, and are subject to change and underwriting approval. Any guarantees are backed solely by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. My IRA Hero does not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice; consult your own qualified professionals.
Go deeper
The math behind the ingredient.
The Happy Factor in Retirement
The short training behind this page: what actually makes retirees happy, and why guaranteed income keeps showing up in the data.
Watch the trainingThe 3 Types of Annuities
Fixed, fixed indexed, and variable compared in plain English — including which one is the only true fee product.
Compare the typesWhy an FIA Strengthens a Plan
The Three Buckets strategy and the two-retirees math, laid out the way Tom Hegna teaches it.
See the strategyAnnuity Fees, Honestly
What carriers actually charge, what they don't, and how caps, participation rates, and spreads shape your net result.
Read the fee mathCurrent Annuity Rates
How today's rates are quoted and what to compare across A-rated carriers before you commit a dollar.
Check the ratesThe 5-Step Income Framework
The full written income plan this page feeds into — withdrawal order, Social Security timing, and tax sequencing.
See the frameworkFree 15-min Tele-Wealth call — Zoom or phone, no obligation.
Book now