Money Neighbor
All setWe got it

You’re booked. Thanks. We’ll text you to find a time.

Your free Retirement Income Review is set. It’s a 20-minute phone call with our team. This page shows you how to get ready.

No times were open just now. So we’ll text you from a US number within one business day. Together, we’ll pick a time. Until then, this page shows you how to get ready.

Before you go

  1. Add the call to your calendar
  2. Watch for our text, and save the number
  3. Read our 2-minute welcome
  4. Ask your spouse to join the call
Before your call

Read this before your call

Our short welcome, in six cards. It takes about two minutes. It covers who we are, the call and what to have ready.

  1. 01 Who we are

    We explain money after 55

    Money Neighbor helps people learn about money in retirement. We are not an insurance company. We don’t sell insurance or give advice. If it’s a fit, we introduce one licensed specialist in your state.

  2. 02 The call

    20 minutes, by phone

    A person from our team calls you. We’ll ask about your goals and what you’ve saved, in round numbers. We’ll ask when you want income to start. We won’t tell you what to buy. We never ask for account numbers or your Social Security number.

  3. 03 How to prepare

    Round numbers are fine

    Keep your latest statements close by. Have your Social Security estimate, if you have it. Think about what you spend each month. Write down your questions too.

  4. 04 Our promise

    What we’ll never do

    We never sell your number to a list. We won’t pass you around to lots of salespeople. If it’s a fit, you meet just one specialist. No one will push you to buy.

  5. 05 Both of you

    Bring your spouse

    Money choices affect you both. That’s most true if one of you passes away. Two people hear more than one. And no one has to explain it later.

  6. 06 See you soon

    Then you decide

    If it’s a fit, we set up a Zoom video call. It’s with one licensed specialist in your state. Then you decide, in your own time. We look forward to talking with you.

What happens next

4 simple steps.
You decide at each one.

  1. Soon after bookingWithin one business day

    A text confirming your timeA text to find a time

    It comes from a US number. It says it’s from Money Neighbor. Save the number, so you’ll know it’s us when we call.

  2. Your booked timeAt a time you pick

    A 20-minute call with our team

    This is your free Retirement Income Review. We talk about your goals and your round numbers. We ask what matters most to you. No account numbers needed.

  3. If it’s a fit

    Meet one specialist, licensed in your state

    We set up a Zoom video call with them. We find a time that works for you, often within a few days. We’ll text you the link.

  4. In your own time

    You decide. No pressure.

    Ask all your questions. Talk it over at home. “No, thank you” is always a fine answer. We mean that.

How to prepare

5 things to have ready

This isn’t homework. Round numbers are fine. If you can’t find something, that’s OK. Check off each one as you go.

0 of 5 ready

Questions to ask any specialist

5 questions to ask anyone about your money

That includes the specialist we introduce. A good one will be glad you asked. Clear, simple answers are a good sign.

  1. “How do you get paid if I buy this?”

    It may be a fee, a commission or both. A commission is pay from the company whose product you buy. It’s a normal question. Any specialist should answer it plainly.

  2. “Is there a surrender charge? What are all the fees?”

    Many annuities charge a fee if you take out too much early. That fee is a surrender charge. Ask how long it lasts and what it costs. Ask what any extras cost too.

  3. “What is guaranteed, and who backs it?”

    The insurance company that issues the annuity makes the guarantee. It depends on that company’s ability to pay its claims. Ask which company it is and how it’s rated.

  4. “How do I get to my money if I need it?”

    Ask how much you can take out each year for free. Ask what happens in an emergency. Think of a big doctor bill or a nursing home stay.

  5. “What happens to my spouse if I die first?”

    Ask what income keeps coming, and for how long. Ask what would go to your children or others.

  6. Keep this list by you on the call

    Print it or take a picture of it. Write down the answers. Ask for anything important in writing.

Our promises

What we’ll never do

Most people worry about a flood of sales calls. Here’s how we stop that.

  • We’ll never

    Sell your number to a list

    Your details go to one licensed specialist in your state. That only happens if you want to meet one. They never go on a list or to other salespeople.

  • We’ll never

    Send you to more than one specialist

    One retiree, one specialist. You won’t get lots of calls from people you don’t know.

  • We’ll never

    Pressure you

    No “today only” deals. No countdown clocks. You decide if you do anything, and when. If anyone rushes you, tell us.

One more thing: we never ask for your Social Security number. We never ask for account numbers or passwords. Our help is free for you. Specialists may pay us a fee when we introduce you.

How we make money
3 short reads

A little reading before the call

Plain English. No sales pitch. Read them alone or together.

About 3 minutes

3 ways to turn savings into income

Take some out yearly. Build a CD ladder. Or buy income for life. What each one gives you, and what it costs.

When your paychecks stop, your savings have to pay you. There are three common ways to do that. Each one gives you something and costs you something. Many people use more than one.

1. Take out a little each year (the “4% rule”)

This is a common rule of thumb. In your first year, take out about 4% of your savings. Each year after, take out a bit more as prices rise. On $500,000, 4% is $20,000 a year. That’s about $1,667 a month before taxes.

What you getControl. Your money stays invested. You can change course at any time. What’s left goes to your family.
What you give upCertainty. Nothing is promised. Say the market drops in your first years, and you keep taking money out. Then your savings may not last as long as you hoped.

2. Build a ladder of bonds or CDs

You split your money into CDs or bonds. Each one comes due in a different year. Say, one a year for 10 years. Each one that comes due pays that year’s income.

What you getYou know what’s coming for the years the ladder covers. Bank CDs are FDIC-insured up to the legal limits. Treasury bonds are backed by the US government.
What you give upLength. The income stops when the ladder ends, unless you add more. And set amounts can fall behind rising prices.

3. Use part of your savings to buy income for life

You give an insurance company a sum of money. In return, it agrees to pay you income for life. This is called an annuity. Or you can pick income that lasts while either of you is alive.

What you getIncome that keeps coming for as long as you live. The other two ways can’t fully promise that. The promise depends on the insurance company’s ability to pay its claims.
What you give upAccess. You usually can’t take that money out freely for several years or more. There may be less left for your family. And income that doesn’t grow can fall behind rising prices.
WayYou getYou give up
Take out a little each yearControlA promise it will last
CD or bond ladderKnown income for set yearsIncome after it ends
Income for lifeIncome as long as you liveAccess, and often money left for family

The honest answer: there’s no one best choice. It depends on your age and health. It depends on your other income, like Social Security or a pension. It depends on how sure you want to be. And on what you want to leave behind. A good specialist will talk with you about all three, not just one.

The 4% figure is a common rule of thumb, not a promise. Examples are hypothetical. That means they are made up, for teaching only.

About 3 minutes

What an annuity is, and isn’t

The plain version. What you’re buying, the main kinds and the fine print to read.

An annuity is a contract with an insurance company. You pay money in, all at once or over time. The company agrees to pay you back in a set way. Most often, that’s as income. It can start now or later.

Annuities are common. Americans bought a record $461.3 billion of them in 2025. That’s from LIMRA, an insurance industry research group. But common doesn’t mean right for everyone.

What it is

  • A contract. The details are in the contract itself. Your state also gives you a short “free look” time after you buy. During that time, you can change your mind.
  • A few main kinds. Immediate annuities start paying right away. Fixed annuities pay a set interest rate for a set number of years. Fixed indexed annuities pay interest based partly on a market index. An index tracks how a group of stocks is doing. When the index falls, that loss isn’t passed on to you. In return, your gains are limited. Variable annuities are invested in the market. Their value can go up or down.
  • A way to buy income for life, if you pick that option.

What it isn’t

  • It isn’t a bank account. Annuities aren’t FDIC-insured. Their guarantees depend on the insurance company’s strength and ability to pay claims.
  • It isn’t money you can reach any time. Most have a surrender period, often several years. During it, taking out more than a set amount costs a fee.
  • It isn’t free. Some costs are built into the rate. Add-on features, called riders, often cost a yearly fee. The insurance company usually pays the specialist a commission.
  • It shouldn’t be all your money. You’ll want cash for emergencies. You’ll also want money that can keep growing.
  • It isn’t one size fits all. Two annuities with like names can work very differently. Ask to see the numbers in writing.

Bottom line: an annuity can be a good tool for one job. That job is turning part of your savings into a paycheck. If it’s right for you depends on the details. So ask about them.

Source for annuity sales: LIMRA, US individual annuity sales, 2025. Money Neighbor doesn’t sell annuities or recommend any product.

About 2 minutes

Why both spouses should be on the call

It’s money and a future for both of you. That includes the part no one likes to talk about.

It’s both of your futures

Choices about retirement income shape how you both live. That lasts as long as either of you is alive. Neither of you should hear about it secondhand.

The hard question: what if one of you dies?

When one spouse dies, two Social Security checks usually become one. The survivor usually keeps the larger one. But many bills stay the same. Some income is paid for one life, called “single life.” Some keeps paying until both of you have died, called “joint life.” That choice decides what keeps coming in. So talk about it together.

When you start Social Security matters to you both

Say you start Social Security at 62, not at full retirement age. Your check can be up to about 30% smaller. That’s from the Social Security Administration. Say the spouse who earned more starts early. That smaller check may be the one the survivor keeps.

Two people hear more than one

Often one of you pays the bills. The other watches the savings. When you hear it together, no one has to explain it later. And no one makes a big choice alone.

It’s easy to set up

Put the phone on speaker at the kitchen table. Single or widowed? You’re welcome to bring a grown child or a friend you trust.

Social Security figures: Social Security Administration. Survivor rules have details and exceptions. Check yours at ssa.gov.

Talk soon.

We’ll call you at your booked time.If we missed you, watch for a text from us.

Watch for our text within one business day. It’ll say it’s from Money Neighbor.

Questions before then? Reply to any of our texts.