How to Money · Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Jean Chatzky plans to use a deferred annuity for her own retirement, aiming to create a secure income stream that allows her to spend without worrying about depleting funds. This strategy prioritizes maximizing joy and satisfaction in retirement over simply maximizing the total asset value.
“When I go out to buy a paycheck for my own retirement, I'll be doing it with an annuity. I'm not, and I'm in the process. I'm sixty one, so I'm in the process. I don't need the income now. I'm still working and I plan to keep working for a good long time. But I'm in the process of shopping for a deferred annuity that will allow me to turn on the income when I'm ready to turn on the income.”
“I will watch the number go up in my stock portfolio and know that I don't have to worry about those things that I just don't want to come compromise on. I mean, you started this show by asking me, you know what I like to spend on. I don't want to not go to the fish store because I am worried about taking four percent out of my four oh one k.”