Retirement income you can plan around. And a tax bill you can plan for.
I am Ian Lahde. I am licensed in life insurance and annuities, and most of my work comes down to two questions: how to turn what you have saved into income that keeps arriving, and how to handle the taxes waiting inside your retirement accounts. For many of the people I work with, the answer involves a fixed indexed annuity, used for income or for a Roth conversion. We only get there once we know it fits.
One conversation. No cost. If I am not the right fit, I will say so.
Most retirement accounts were built to grow. Very few were built to pay you.
For thirty or forty years the job was to put money in and leave it alone. A 401(k) or an IRA is very good at that job.
Retirement asks two new questions. How do you turn a balance into a paycheck that keeps showing up, whatever the market does that year? And how much of that balance is really yours, once the income tax built into a pre-tax account comes due?
Most people I meet have never had anyone answer both questions with their own numbers. They have statements, a rough idea of what they can spend, and a tax bill nobody has priced yet.
Where I spend most of my time.
You may need one of these or all four. The first conversation is how we find out.
Turning savings into income
How much your savings can pay you each year, and how to make part of that income independent of the market. For some people that means placing a portion in a fixed indexed annuity with an income rider, so a set amount arrives every month for life. For others the answer is simpler.
Planning Roth conversions
Money in a traditional IRA or 401(k) has never been taxed, and one day it will be. A Roth conversion lets you choose when. I help you decide whether converting makes sense, how much to move each year, and where the money can sit while you convert it in stages.
Protecting what you cannot afford to lose
A fixed indexed annuity is credited interest based on a market index, with a floor that protects your principal when the index falls. You give up some of the upside in exchange for no downside. We work out together how much of your money belongs on that side of the line, if any.
Keeping more of what you earn
For high-income earners, both W2 employees and business owners, I work on how income and assets are structured so more of it stays with you. That can include premium financed life insurance, estate planning and business succession. These are specialized tools, and I will tell you quickly whether any of them apply to you.
How every first meeting works.
The same four steps for everyone, whether we end up working together or not.
You tell me what you have, when you want to stop working, and what you want the money to do. I tell you exactly who I am and what I do, so there are no surprises later. No product comes up on this call.
The income your savings could support, what a Roth conversion would cost you this year compared with later, and how much of your money needs protection from the market. All of it with your figures, not a brochure's.
Each option on one page: what it costs, how long the money is committed, and what you give up to get the guarantee. Leaving things as they are is always one of the options.
Take it home, talk it over, and ask me anything. When you are ready, I handle the applications, the transfers and the follow-up, and I stay your point of contact afterward.
life and annuities
an active license
income and Roth conversions
retirement income and life insurance
What you get when you work with me.
Income and taxes in one plan
Much of my annuity work is built around Roth conversions, so I look at the income you will draw and the taxes you will pay at the same time. Planning one without the other is how people end up with a paycheck that is smaller than they expected.
A clean start, with no bait and switch
Too many people arrive at a first meeting already worn out by a pitch that turned into something else. I tell you up front who I am, what I do and how I am paid. What we talk about on the first call is what we talk about.
Comfortable with the complicated cases
Alongside retirement income, I work with business owners and high-income earners on premium finance, estate planning and business succession. Most retirees will never need those, but it means the complicated questions do not slow me down.
Where I am licensed.
I can only work with clients who live in a state where I hold an active license. If yours is not listed, reach out anyway and I will try to point you to someone who can help.
- California
- Florida
- Nevada
- Texas
What people ask me first.
What does the first conversation cost?
Will you try to sell me something on the first call?
Do I have to be retired already?
I already work with an advisor. Is it worth talking?
What is a Roth conversion?
What if I am not in one of your states?
Find out in two minutes if we should talk.
Answer a few short questions about your savings and your plans. If I can help, you can pick a time on my calendar. If I cannot, you will know right away.
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