July 4th is coming up fast. Independence Day…the day we declared we’d be bound no more to the English.

Only a funny thing happened last week when the Brits voted to exit the European Union. Actually, it wasn’t funny at all. Our stock markets took a pounding.

We may be independent but that doesn’t mean we aren’t interconnected. What happens across the pond could have a profound impact on your retirement planning. Since June 23rd, the S&P 500 has lost 5% of value. That means if you have a $500,000 portfolio, you would have lost $25,000 in less than a week.

I’m guessing it took you a lot longer than a week to save that $25,000. If you’re young then it’s probably not the end of the world for you because you’ve got all that time in front of you to continue your saving and retirement planning.

But if you’re in or near retirement, it’s a different story. Time is definitely not on your side. I have no idea what the markets will do next. If all the pundits and talking heads out there are being honest, neither do they, although they love to say after-the-fact how they predicted this or that event.

The only prediction I can make is that for our clients, their money will be there when they need it. Getting big returns when the markets do well is exciting. There’s no denying that. But most of my clients tell me, “Sam, just don’t lose our money.”

So that’s what I’ve done. You owe it to yourself to become educated on how today’s fixed annuity offerings can help you protect your principal and generate guaranteed income as part of your retirement planning. Until we learn how to predict your future, it’s the only way to make sure yours is secure.