AlkemyWealth Financial Group

What is one question you may want to ask today and not tomorrow?

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You've worked hard, saved well, and planned for about 20 years of retirement. That plan sounds solid until you look at the numbers.

According to the Social Security Administration, 1 out of 3 people who reach age 65 are expected to live until at least 90. For those who make it to 75, 1 out of 7 are expected to reach 95.

That means a retirement lasting 25 or even 30 years is a real possibility. Every extra year brings more grocery bills, more healthcare costs, and more years of inflation to deal with. A savings plan built for two decades may run short.

The good news is that you can plan for a longer life today. A few questions worth asking:
• How long would my savings last if I lived to 95?
• Do I have income that keeps paying for as long as I live?
• How will rising healthcare costs affect my budget later in life?

Living a long life is a gift. Having the money to enjoy it makes that gift even better.

If you'd like to talk through your retirement income plan, send us a message. We're always happy to help.

[RP Miguel Amaya, MPH (Author/ Mentor for Retirement Planning), LinkedIn
Alkemywealth.com 👇

Want a paycheck that never retires?
You can turn a portion of your savings into your own guaranteed income for life with an annuity similar to the Social Security program benefits. Both create predictable, NON-MARKET-DEPENDENT income: you "contribute" (Social Security via payroll taxes over a career; annuity via lump sum or payments), then receive scheduled payouts that continue for life.

Here’s the simple idea:
1️⃣ You contribute a lump sum or a series of payments into an annuity contract with an insurance company.
2️⃣ In return, the insurer guarantees a stream of income you can’t outlive, starting now or at a future date (depending on the type of annuity).
3️⃣ You choose options like:
🔸 Single or joint life (cover yourself or you and a spouse)
🔸When income starts
🔸Whether you want built-in features like inflation adjustments or beneficiary protection

When should you consider a strategy like this:
🔸Lifetime income you can’t outlive
🔸Helps cover essential expenses like housing, food, and health care
🔸Adds stability alongside Social Security and pensions

Important things to know: Annuities are long-term contracts. Income guarantees are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. Review fees, surrender charges, and features carefully, and talk with a licensed professional to see if an annuity fits your situation.

👉 Curious how much lifetime income your savings could create? Let’s run the numbers together. [email protected] or visit AlkemyWealth.com

AlkemyWealth Site Empowering our clients with practical financial knowledge so every step they take builds lifelong lasting results

The Lesson for 2026

Prediction is vanity. Participation and diversification are sanity.

How many times have you seen these types of images on social media? Is there truth to this?
Bottom line, you cannot effectively hedge a 2026-style market with a 1990-style portfolio. If your retirement plan relies on the market being "nice" to you every month, you don't have a plan. You have a hope.

If you are 35, the 2025 market ride was annoying. If you are 65, it was dangerous.

Yes, the S&P 500 finished up 18% despite a 10.5% crash in April. On paper, that sounds like a victory. But for a retiree taking monthly distributions, that volatility creates a disaster.

If you were forced to sell shares in April to pay your mortgage, you locked in those losses forever. You didn't receive the full 18% recovery because you had fewer shares working in your favor when the rebound occurred.

This is why the "Average Return" is a meaningless metric for retirees. You don't live on averages; you live on cash flow.

The Solution: The "Volatility Buffer" Asset Class The 2025 data has validated a specific retirement structure that separates "Growth" from "Groceries."

1. Fixed Indexed Annuities (FIAs): The "Zero" Hero In 2025, FIAs did exactly what they were designed to do. When the market fell 10% in April, FIA holders experienced no loss. They didn't participate in the crash.
The Win: They captured the Q3/Q4 rebound with participation rates as high as 60-80% of the S&P 500's gain, without risking a cent of principal.
The Role: This is your "Sleep Well" money. It replaces bonds (which failed to protect portfolios in Q2) as the non-correlated stabilizer.

2. Registered Index-Linked Annuities (RILAs): The "Buffered" Growth”
For clients who wanted more upside than an FIA but less terror than the S&P, RILAs were the MVP of 2025.
The Mechanics: These strategies offered a "Buffer" (e.g., protection against the first 10-20% of losses) in exchange for higher caps.
The Result: When the market dropped 10.5% in April, RILA investors with a 10% buffer were down 0.5%. They stayed nearly whole, allowing them to capture significantly more of the 18% year-end rally than traditional conservative allocations.

3. The "Paycheck" Strategy
The most successful retirement plans in 2025 didn't just "invest." They insured. By using an income annuity to cover fixed expenses (housing, food, healthcare), retirees effectively "bought a pension." This liberated their remaining portfolio to stay invested for growth without the fear of being forced to sell during the "Liberation Day" crash.

It's time to build a new plan that allows the rest of your portfolio to stay invested for growth without the fear of being forced to sell during a market downturn.

“Reflections on Gratitudes this Christmas”
🎄♥️🙌

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The Only "Return on Investment" That Matters Today

(RP AlkemyWealthFinancialGroup)

The trading bells will stop ringing soon. The charts will be frozen. The frantic energy of year-end planning will settle into a quiet hum.

I was looking at my own planning notes for 2026 this morning, and I realized something important.

We spend thousands of hours every year trying to optimize tax brackets. We obsess over volatility buffers and Roth conversions. We strategize to make sure the numbers on the screen keep getting bigger.

But we rarely stop to talk about why.

For me, true wealth is not the balance in your brokerage account. It is the ability to sit in a room with the people you love and not worry about how you are going to pay for the meal.

It is the freedom to turn your phone off because you know your plan is solid. It is the peace of mind that comes from knowing your future is secure, so you can enjoy your present.

You worked hard this year. You made tough decisions.

Now is the time for you to enjoy the dividend. Be where your feet are. The market will be there when we get back.

Wishing everyone Happy Holidays and a very Merry Christmas!