October 2014

Wow! Hard to believe summer is officially over now. I have to admit that this is my favorite time of year, though. Less humidity, still nice temperatures, leaves starting to change (beautiful), football, the World Series, and did I say football? I love going out on the lake during this time of year, most of the summertime pinheads are off the water, and I feel safe again!

Like most months, Kelly and I have kept busy, and I'm always thankful for that. I want to pass on an invitation to a special event that JDS Wealth Management is sponsoring along with WSIC radio called "The 2014 JDS Wealth Management Senior Expo". The expo is being held at Signal Hill Mall in Statesville from 10:00am-4:00pm on Saturday October 4th(this Saturday). Kelly and I will have the main booth, but there will be plenty of other vendors there to check out also. There will be door prizes, free give-a-ways, and a variety of speakers at the expo. The event is geared towards helping seniors improve their lives in a range of areas. I'll be speaking on the main stage at 1:00pm & 3:30pm. If you have time, we'd love for you to come on out and see us. If there's anything in particular you'd like us to speak about, shoot us an email or give us a call and we'd be happy to do so.

Enjoy this month's "Thoughts for the Week" from Global Financial Private Capital, and my latest Lake Norman Magazine article.

Don't forget to listen to Kelly and I every Wednesday morning at 8:00am and Saturday morning at 10:00am on "The Safe Harbor Retirement Planning Show" on WSIC 1400AM. Or, go to the radio tab on our website where all the shows are uploaded for your enjoyment, as well as all the interviews I've done with "The Big Guy" Harold Johnson, and with Joe Vagnone & Wayne Bidleman on "Local Biz Now"! It's all educational and fun!

Also, my new book "Finding Safe Harbor in Retirement" is nearing completion after being in the works for over a year and a half. What an interesting experience authoring a book. We're really excited about it. Just let us know if you'd like a copy, and Kelly will get you on the list.

As always, if anyone would like a free consultation, quote, portfolio stress test, or additional information, just shoot us an email or give us a call.

Until next month,

James Stillman

Buying Annuities and
Deciphering Annuity Company Ratings

Lake Norman Magazine, October 2014

Many times, clients and potential clients want to discuss annuities and the ratings of the insurance companies that issue them, so I thought I'd shed some light on the subject in this month's article. The first thing to remember is this: if you're purchasing an annuity, make sure you're purchasing it for the right reasons! The primary purpose of an annuity is one thing: INCOME!

Annuities are the only investment/savings tool in the toolbox that can guarantee income for life. They are backed by the claims paying ability of the insurance company, and not the FDIC. In my opinion, that's perfectly fine since there are virtually no instances where a Legal Reserve insurance company has not met its obligation to pay claims or income.

Most Legal Reserve insurance companies are extremely well capitalized, well run, tightly regulated, and backed by individual state guarantee funds should the insurance company get into trouble. This is known as The North Carolina Life & Health Insurance Guarantee Association. The protection limit is $300,000 per individual, per company. Note: It's NOT $300,000 per contract like some have been lead to believe.

All content is intended for informational purposes only. Any guarantees are for insured products only and are dependent on the claims paying abilities of the insurer. All investments carry some risk and you should be advised by your personal financial advidor before implementing any strategies discussed, as they are not suitable for everyone. James D. Stillman is an Investment Advisor Representative of JDS Wealth Management Corporation and Global Financial Private Capital.

JDS Wealth Management Corporation's outgoing and incoming e-mails are electronically archived and subject to review and/or disclosure to someone other than the recipient. We cannot accept requests for securities transactions or other similar instructions through e-mail. We cannot ensure the security of information e-mailed over the Internet, so you should be careful when transmitting confidential information such as account numbers and security holdings. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by replying to this message and deleting it from your computer."

This Month

Buying Annuities and Deciphering Annuity Company Ratings

The Days of Easy Income are Over

A Great Strategy for Mutual Funds