The Descent · a 22-minute plain-English film

The most dangerous years for your money start the day you stop working.

Mountaineers repeat one hard truth: most accidents happen on the way down. Retirement works the same way. Saving was the climb. Spending it down is the descent, and it plays by different rules. This film walks through those rules in plain English, with no products and no pitch.

A lone hiker carefully descending a mountain ridge at dawn, a still from the education film The Descent.

The Descent · a 22-minute plain-English film

Why retirement's riskiest years come after you stop working: the seven risks of spending your savings, stated plainly, and the honest way to weigh each one. No scare tactics. No miracle products.

Watch the film

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Honestly labeled: this is an Annuity Explained education film, not a neutral documentary. Education only. No obligation.

What the film covers, in 22 minutes.

Three things, each in plain English for people within ten years of retirement, either side.

  • 01The seven risks of the spend-down years. Sequence of returns, longevity, the tax torpedo, RMD and IRMAA cliffs, inflation, health and long-term care, and the biggest one: your own behavior in a down market.
  • 02How guaranteed lifetime income actually works. What an income floor is, what it costs you in flexibility, and the fine print most presentations skip. Any guarantee is backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurer; it is not FDIC-insured.
  • 03When an annuity is the wrong fit. Who should walk away, and the specific questions to ask before anyone shows you a product. We think this part matters more than the rest.

The film discusses fixed and fixed-indexed annuities as concepts only. It names no products, no insurers, and no rates. Annuities are long-term products and may carry surrender charges; withdrawals before 59½ may incur a 10% federal penalty.

Why trust us? Not an insurance agency No commissions. Ever. We'll tell you when NOT to buy Sources: FINRA · SEC · IRS · NAIC

The seven risks, at a glance.

Each gets its own chapter in the film. If you'd rather read than watch, the full written guide covers the same ground.

01 Sequence of returns 02 Longevity 03 The tax torpedo 04 RMD & IRMAA cliffs 05 Inflation 06 Health & long-term care 07 Behavior

Prefer to talk it through? Book a complimentary meeting. No products, rates, or pressure.

Watch The Descent22 minutes · plain English · no pitch
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