Top Annuity Income Strategies: Finding the Right Fit for You

Victoria Larson | Jun 2, 2026

Summary:

If you’re thinking about retirement income, the real question isn’t “Are annuities good or bad?” — it’s “Are they right for you?” In this interview, @Victoria with @VitalityInvestments and @erinkennedy break down:
✔️ Why annuities get such mixed reactions
✔️ The difference between fixed, indexed, and variable annuities
✔️ How to know which (if any) fits your plan
✔️ When the right time to buy might be
✔️ And how all of this connects to your Social Security strategy

Because retirement income isn’t just about growth—it’s about creating confidence, consistency, and a plan that lasts.

Transcript:

Erin Kennedy 0:00
Hi, Victoria. So, good to see you today. We are talking top annuity income strategies. Finding
the right fit for you. Annuities can be a great way to create guaranteed income in retirement, but
not all annuities are created equal. What matters most is figuring out if an annuity and which
kind fits into your personal retirement plan, but let's start simple, because I feel like when people
hear the word annuity, there's often a very strong reaction. Why is that?

Victoria Larson 0:28
Absolutely, there's a lot of negative headlines out there, they have high fees, low returns, overly
complicated, your money is locked, and that prevents people from using one of the most
effective tools to create lifetime income and retirement, and it's actually been identified that
when people put an annuity into their portfolio, they can actually get achieved greater growth
with the remaining assets.

Erin Kennedy 0:54
Interesting. All right, well, there are many different kinds of annuities. Let's kind of stick to the
big three that a lot of people know of. Can you walk me through how each of these create stable
retirement income and how they vary in risk? Please.

Victoria Larson 1:06
Sure. Okay. So, fixed index and variable, all of them can create a lifetime income stream with
fixed annuities. The insurance carrier tells you immediately what rate of return you're going to
get on your money, or what specific dollars you're going to be able to receive for that income
payout each month. Index annuities, your money tracks different market indexes, like the S and
p5 100 or the NASDAQ 100 You're not invested in the market, but if those indexes go up, your
account value goes up, you make money. If those indexes go down, you just get a zero. So
either make money or you don't lose money. Variable annuities, your money it tracks the stock
market. If the market goes up, your account value goes up, and if the stock market goes down,
your account value goes down, and there are those higher fees with those variable annuities.

Erin Kennedy 2:08
So, again, a lot of different kinds of annuities. How do you help a client determine which kind, if
any, is right for them?

Victoria Larson 2:14
Yeah, well, a couple things. First of all, we understand what their risk tolerance is, and the
second is we figure out what's the need, what amount of stable income do they need, and we

back into the dollar amount. You know, sometimes folks come in to us and they have too much
money in annuities because they hear, 'I'm afraid, and they've been oversold. In our practice,
we use it as a tool to create a secure income floor, and that's using financial planning software,
and identifying exactly how much to put into that contract.

Erin Kennedy 2:47
And timing, of course, is everything in retirement planning. So, when is the right time to buy an
annuity?

Victoria Larson 2:52
It's actually now, if you're five to 10 years out from retirement, this is a perfect time to do it,
because the income payouts are largely tied to what the interest rate environment is, so the
higher the interest rates, the higher the payouts. So right now is a good time to look into it.

Erin Kennedy 3:12
Okay, and finally we have to talk about Social Security, which functions as a government-
provided inflation index, life annuity-providing guaranteed lifetime income, and determining
when to claim social security is one of the most important decisions you will make in retirement,
and that decision has to take the rest of your retirement plan into account.

Victoria Larson 3:31
Absolutely, I recommend working with an advisor on this to use the different software programs
to figure out how to optimize that asset, because it is one of the biggest assets you have, and it
needs to be optimized,

Erin Kennedy 3:45
right. So, important. So, Victoria, as we talk this through, it's clear a lot of planning goes into
retirement income planning. So, if somebody would like to sit down with you and see if an
annuity and which kind makes sense for them, what's the best way to reach you?

Victoria Larson 3:59
They can contact us at info@Vitalityinvestments.org
Erin Kennedy 4:04
All right, again, Victoria. Thank you so much for your time today. I really appreciate it.
Victoria Larson 4:08
Thank you.

Victoria Larson, RICP® is an independent, fiduciary financial advisor and founder of Vitality Investments. With over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, she specializes in holistic, retirement-focused planning. Her work helps clients protect, grow, and use their assets in ways that align with their goals and values. Victoria partners closely with individuals and families to build income security, minimize taxes, and prepare for life’s financial uncertainties.

^{Hypothetical examples used are for illustrative purposes only.}

^{Investment advisory services offered through Brookstone Wealth Advisors, LLC (BWA), a registered investment advisor and an affiliate of Brookstone Capital Management, LLC. BWA and Vitality Investments are independent of each other. Insurance products and services are not offered through BWA but are offered and sold through individually licensed and appointed agents. Index or fixed annuities are not designed for short term investments and may be subject to caps, restrictions, fees and surrender charges as described in the annuity contract. Guarantees are backed by the financial strength and claims paying ability of the issuer. Please refer to our firm brochure, the ADV 2A Item 4, for additional information. Registered Investment Advisors and Investment Advisor Representatives act as fiduciaries for all of our investment management clients. We have an obligation to act in the best interests of our clients and to make full disclosure of any conflicts of interests. Please refer to our firm brochure, the ADV 2A item 4, for additional information.}

Top Annuity Income Strategies: Finding the Right Fit for You