With St. Patrick’s Day happening this week, some consumers will take some time to celebrate this traditional Irish holiday with a beverage and a gathering of friends. Many different traditions surround St. Patrick’s Day holiday including finding a leprechaun’s gold at the end of the rainbow or even how finding a four-leaf clover can bring good luck for your future.

Both of these fallacies aren’t realistic in planning for your retirement. The odds are against finding a scratch off or hitting all of the numbers/balls to win with a multi-million dollar lottery ticket. The same thing could be said for finding that “pot of gold” by winning on a slot machine, at a blackjack table, or betting your favorite sports team prop best in casino or through an online platform.

Yet, a lot of consumers maintain that hopeful feeling about tossing those dollars at a chance to win millions… in hopes of retiring early with enough money to last throughout those valued retirement years. Think about how many times you’ve bought a scratch-off lottery ticket or placed $20 into a slot machine in hopes to win a large jackpot.

That’s why Annuity Alliance wants you to think about taking those hard-earned dollars and placing them into an annuity. With an annuity, you cannot lose ANY of your original premium dollars used to purchase the fixed annuity or fixed indexed annuity. Even if the stock market drops, you aren’t dealt a losing hand as you cannot lose any of the original premium (dollars) placed into this product.

Guess what? You also can choose guaranteed lifetime income throughout your retirement years from an annuity. Are you getting the same return on those scratch off tickets?

Annuities leverage a proven retirement planning strategy used to provide safety and protection from fluctuating markets and potential investment risks of other financial products. Think about it this way. You buy $50 worth of lottery scratch offs, you scratch them off, and do not win on any of the tickets. As a theoretical example, you put $50 into an annuity, and you get your $50 down the road with the potential to gain interest based on the selected annuity product. (NOTE: Most annuities have a required minimum amount designated by the selected carrier.)

In the long run, getting lucky on a lottery ticket doesn’t really seem as financially sound as placing your money into an annuity, which will deliver guaranteed lifetime income. Don’t gamble on luck with your retirement dollars. Consider an annuity instead.

Annuity Alliance hopes you have a safe St. Patrick’s Day this week. Feel free to contact our team if you would like more information about potential annuity options that align with your retirement strategy.