Guaranteed Growth with Annuities
Grow Your Retirement Savings — Without the Risk of Losing It
Income First. Then Growth. Here Is Why the Order Matters.
The first priority in retirement income planning is securing the income you need every month — the guaranteed floor that covers essential living expenses no matter what. Once that is solved, a different question emerges: how do you grow the savings you are not spending, without putting them at risk?
That is what this page addresses. Mark Rogers, CLTC, LUTCF, has spent more than 20 years helping eastern Washington retirees build safe growth strategies for the savings that sit above the income floor — money that should be growing, not sitting still, and certainly not at risk of disappearing in a down year. If you want to go deeper before you schedule, the Talking Turning 65 podcast covers MYGAs, fixed indexed annuities, and safe accumulation strategies in plain English — free, any time.
How We Help You Grow Safely
The Power of Zero — Why Not Losing Matters as Much as Gaining
Every year your savings lose value, you have two problems: the loss itself, and the time it takes to recover before you can grow again. A year at zero is not exciting — but it is far better than a year at negative ten, because zero means your entire balance is still compounding the following year. Safe growth tools guarantee that zero is your floor. Your savings do not go backward. Every year of growth builds on the full balance from the year before — uninterrupted.
No Annual Fees on Your Accumulation Value
Many retirement savings products carry annual fees — management fees, advisory fees, and administrative charges — that quietly reduce the balance growing for your future. With MYGAs and fixed indexed annuities in their base form, there are no annual fees on your accumulation value. Every dollar stays working for you. Optional riders — guaranteed income, enhanced death benefits, long-term care benefits — carry a stated annual charge disclosed in writing before any contract is signed. We explain every fee before you sign anything.
What Is a MYGA?
A Multi-Year Guaranteed Annuity (MYGA) pays a fixed, guaranteed interest rate for a set term — typically three to ten years. The rate is locked in at contract issue and does not change. Your principal is protected. Growth is tax-deferred, which means you do not pay taxes on the interest until you withdraw it. There are no annual fees on the accumulation value.
MYGAs are well-suited for retirees who want to know exactly what their savings will earn over a defined period — no surprises, no variability, no risk of loss. When the term ends, the contract renews or the funds can be repositioned, depending on what your plan calls for at that point.
What Is a Fixed Index Annuity?
Some fixed indexed annuities include long-term care riders that double or triple the monthly benefit for qualifying care expenses — home care, assisted living, or memory care. If care is never needed, the unused benefit passes to named beneficiaries as a death benefit. This hybrid approach differs from standalone long-term care insurance in one critical way: the funding is not lost if care is never required. For retirees who want long-term care coverage without the use-it-or-lose-it concern of traditional LTC insurance, annuity-based LTC riders are worth understanding in detail.
For deeper long-term care planning content, visit the
Long-Term Care Planning page.
What Is a Fixed Index Annuity?
A Fixed Index Annuity (FIA) offers principal protection combined with growth potential linked to the performance of a market index — such as the S&P 500. Your account is never directly exposed to the index. Instead, credited interest is calculated based on how the index performs during a given period, up to a cap or within a participation rate established at contract issue.
When the index goes up, your account is credited with a portion of that gain. When the index goes down, your account is credited with zero — not a loss. Your principal is fully protected. Growth is tax-deferred. There are no annual fees on the accumulation value in the base contract.
Fixed indexed annuities are well-suited for retirees who want protection with more growth potential than a fixed-rate product — and who are comfortable with a variable credited rate in exchange for that upside participation.
Why Eastern Washington Retirees Trust Us With Their Savings
"I live on a small farm in eastern Washington. My clients are my neighbors. That is not a marketing line — it is just the truth." — Mark Rogers, CLTC, LUTCF
— Mark Rogers, CLTC, LUTCF
Families in eastern Washington have spent decades building what they have — on farms, at Hanford, in small businesses, through years of careful saving. They did not work that hard to hand it to a market correction at the wrong moment. Safe growth tools exist specifically for this: protect the principal, let it grow, and make sure it is there when you need it.
Mark Rogers has spent more than 20 years reviewing MYGA and fixed indexed annuity contracts for eastern Washington retirees — understanding the terms, identifying the fees, and making sure the product actually fits the situation before any contract is signed. Because he works with carriers independently — AIG, Allianz, Lincoln, Corebridge Financial, Great American, North American, Protective, Accordia Life, and American Life — the recommendation is built around your rate, your term, and your goals. Not around what one company offers.
If your current savings strategy is already working, we will tell you that.
Annuity Planning Questions — Answered Directly
What is the difference between a MYGA and a fixed indexed annuity?
A MYGA pays a fixed, guaranteed interest rate for a set term — you know exactly what your account will earn from day one. A fixed indexed annuity credits interest based on the performance of a market index, up to a cap or participation rate — the credited rate varies each period but is never negative. Both provide principal protection and tax-deferred growth. The right choice depends on whether you prefer certainty of rate or potential for higher credited interest over time.
What happens to my fixed indexed annuity in a year when the index goes down?
Your account is credited with zero — not a loss. The principal protection guarantee means your account value does not decrease due to index performance. The following year, your full balance continues to compound from its protected level. This is the core of why zero is your floor: losses do not interrupt the compounding of your savings.
Are there fees on a MYGA or fixed indexed annuity?
In their base form, MYGAs and fixed indexed annuities carry no annual fees on the accumulation value. Optional riders — such as guaranteed lifetime income, enhanced death benefits, or long-term care access — carry a stated annual charge that is disclosed in writing before the contract is signed. We review every fee before you sign anything.
How does tax deferral help my savings grow?
With a tax-deferred annuity, you do not pay taxes on credited interest until you withdraw it. That means the full credited amount — including the portion that would otherwise go to taxes in a given year — continues to compound in your account. Over a multi-year accumulation period, the difference between taxable and tax-deferred growth can be significant.
When does a safe growth annuity make sense for my retirement plan?
A safe growth annuity makes sense when you have savings above your guaranteed income floor that you want to protect, grow, and preserve for future needs — whether that is a large purchase, long-term care funding, a legacy for your heirs, or a liquidity reserve. It is particularly well-suited for retirees who want their savings working at a predictable rate, without annual fees reducing the balance and without the risk of loss reducing the principal.
Serving Safe Growth Clients Across the Tri-Cities and Eastern Washington
My Safe Money Matters provides annuity planning and retirement income guidance to residents of Kennewick, Richland, Pasco, Prosser, and West Richland, and communities throughout Benton, Franklin, and Yakima counties. In-person and virtual consultations are both available.
See Exactly How Your Savings Could Grow — At No Risk.
A free safe growth illustration shows you how a MYGA or fixed indexed annuity would work for your specific savings amount, term, and goals — with no obligation and no pitch in the first call.