RETIREMENT INCOME STRATEGY

Protect

Retirement Income Strategy

Turning your lifetime of savings
into dependable, tax-efficient income

Retirement Planning Within the Fortis Legacy Diamond

A structured approach to creating reliable income and long-term financial confidence in retirement.

Accumulation is only half the equation - income is the outcome.

Retirement is not a single event — it is a phase of life that requires dependable income, tax efficiency, and protection from market uncertainty. Within the Fortis Legacy Diamond, the Retire Pillar is designed to create long-term income strategies that provide stability, flexibility, and confidence throughout retirement.

This pillar is intentionally supported by two primary tools:

Indexed Universal Life (IUL) and annuities, each serving a distinct and complementary role.

The Purpose of the Retire Pillar

The Retire Pillar focuses on one core objective: turning accumulated assets into reliable, sustainable income without exposing retirement security to unnecessary risk.

Key goals of the Retire Pillar include:

Reducing exposure to market volatility
Creating predictable income streams
Managing tax efficiency in retirement
Supporting income longevity
Preserving flexibility and control

Rather than relying on a single product or strategy, the Fortis Legacy Diamond uses layered solutions to address the realities of retirement.

Indexed Universal Life (IUL) as a Retirement Asset

Indexed Universal Life plays a strategic role within the Retire Pillar by providing tax-advantaged growth and income flexibility.

When properly structured, IUL can:

Accumulate cash value with upside potential linked to market indices
Protect against negative market years through built-in floors
Provide access to cash values through tax-advantaged policy loans
Offer flexibility in how and when income is accessed

IUL is not designed to replace traditional retirement accounts, but rather to complement them, particularly when managing taxes and income flexibility becomes more important.

The Role of Annuities in Retirement Planning

Annuities are used within the Retire Pillar to provide income certainty and stability.

Depending on the structure, annuities can:

Deliver guaranteed income streams
Reduce the risk of outliving retirement assets
Provide predictable cash flow regardless of market conditions
Support essential living expenses in retirement

Annuities are particularly effective when used to cover core income needs, allowing other assets to remain positioned for growth or flexibility.

How Indexed Universal Life and Annuities Work Together

Within the Fortis Legacy Diamond, IUL and annuities are not competing solutions — they are coordinated tools.

Together, they allow retirees to:

Use annuities to establish dependable baseline income
Use IUL to supplement income in a tax-advantaged and flexible manner
Reduce reliance on market-driven withdrawals during downturns
Adjust income strategies as needs and conditions change

This coordinated approach creates balance between guarantees and flexibility, which is essential for long-term retirement confidence.

Risk Management and Income Stability

Retirement planning is as much about managing risk as it is about growth.

By combining:

The growth and tax advantages of Indexed Universal Life
The income guarantees available through annuities

The Retire Pillar helps protect against:

Market volatility
Sequence-of-returns risk
Longevity risk
Rising tax exposure

This layered structure supports stability without sacrificing adaptability.

Why a Structured Approach Matters

Relying on a single strategy in retirement can expose individuals to unnecessary risk. The Fortis Legacy Diamond was designed to avoid that by assigning specific roles to specific tools.

The Retire Pillar does not depend on speculation. It is built on:

Intentional planning
Clear roles for each strategy
Long-term sustainability
Income confidence

This structure allows retirement income to be approached with clarity rather than uncertainty.

Retirement Planning as Part of a Larger System

The Retire Pillar does not stand alone. It works in coordination with:

The Protect Pillar, which safeguards income-producing ability
The Bank Pillar, which provides liquidity and control
The Leverage Pillar, which amplifies opportunity when appropriate

Together, these pillars form a comprehensive financial system designed to support every phase of life.

A Retirement Strategy Built for Longevity

Retirement should be approached with intention, not guesswork. By integrating Indexed Universal Life and annuities within the Retire Pillar, the Fortis Legacy Diamond provides a disciplined framework for building income confidence that can adapt over time.

Retirement planning works best when income is structured, risks are managed, and flexibility is preserved. When these elements are aligned, retirement income becomes more predictable, resilient, and sustainable — creating a foundation that not only supports lifestyle needs, but also positions assets to be used more strategically as new opportunities emerge.

With income stability in place, the Fortis Legacy Diamond allows assets to be positioned more strategically to support growth, flexibility, and opportunity.

What Should You Do Next?

Retirement income isn’t just about accumulation—it’s about turning assets into reliable, tax-efficient cash flow.

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