FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Our specialty is a more mature client, usually someone age 50 or older, who has worked their whole life to save for retirement and is now entering a phase of life where protecting and preserving the assets they already have, is more important to them than continually risking their assets in order to grow them.   

Our clients experience a balanced approach to investing and financial planning with safety and retirement income as the foundation of the plan, and the rest of their growth objectives built to compliment that.   Working with more mature investors and helping them achieve their current day retirement goals, is our passion and we are honored to help people in this way.

We suggest that all prospective clients either attend one of our live dinner seminars or watch our webinar. This way you know more about our Green Line Strategy and if it’s a right fit for you before you come in to meet with us.   We can occasionally accommodate smaller, private, group sessions when it makes sense to do so.  Contact Us for more information. 

If our Yulee office is too far, we have 3 other satellite offices to choose from- in Orange Park, in Jacksonville near the St John's Town Center, and in St Simon's Island GA.  All our addresses can be found on our Contact Us page.

Yes.  We encourage spouses and significant others to come together to both the seminar and the appointment. If you have a close friend or relative that you want to bring instead, just let us know, and we will do our best to accommodate you.  Additionally, we do host several Client Bring A Friend events throughout the year so that we can make ourselves available to help your friends and family as well. 

We can offer all kinds of annuities but have found some of the best outcomes for our clients using Fixed Index Annuities and MYGA's (multi-year guaranteed annuities).   We will work with you to help establish which product or products will best help you.   For the most part, we only work with A-Rated companies or better and fully credential each carrier partner to ensure only premier resources for our clients.  We also try to avoid contracts that will have fees or charges for you.  Whenever possible, we want our clients to keep all of their money for themselves. 

Every client’s goals are unique. The Summerlin Benefits Consulting team uses retirement modeling to help determine the best mix of traditional investments, annuities, and life-insurance-based solutions to meet your income, growth, and legacy objectives.  Every client has a customized strategy built specific to them and their personal needs.

We ensure that all products we provide to our clients allow you access to at least 10% of your initial investment per year with no penalties for taking that withdrawal.  This is known as a free withdrawal and is typically granted after your first anniversary, if not sooner. Read this blog to learn more about the benefits of a product with a time commitment.

Yes. This is known as a Rollover or Direct Transfer of funds, which is a nontaxable event- even for qualified retirement plans like IRA's, Roth IRA's, 401k's, 403B's, Thrift Savings plans, etc.   Where appropriate, we can also help you conduct a 1035 exchange for many non-qualified retirement plans as well. Click here for more information on 401k's. 

In most cases, when named as the primary beneficiary, your legal spouse has the option to transfer ownership to continue the account in their own name.  But these policies can also be paid out in full as a death benefit to any beneficiaries you've named.  This benefit payment to your heirs typically includes principal, interest earned, and bonuses. 

Today's life insurance industry offers uses beyond just a death benefit to your loved ones. Two ways you can use life insurance to enhance your retirement plans are tax-free retirement income and long-term care benefits.  Some clients utilize Indexed universal life (IUL) insurance for one or both of these purposes.   It provides a death benefit just like other life insurance policies, but it also allows you to utilize stock market returns without risking your money and gives you access to some of your cash growth each year without having to pay taxes on it.  More information can be found on our Life Insurance page.

A fixed index annuity (FIA) is a retirement income tool that allows your money to grow based on the performance of a market index (like the S&P 500) without directly investing in the market. You benefit from potential growth when markets rise but are protected from losses when they fall. Many FIAs also offer options for lifetime income.

Fixed Index Annuities are insurance-based products, not market investments. The issuing insurance company guarantees that your principal will not decrease due to market losses (subject to the terms of the contract). This makes FIAs a valuable tool for retirees seeking stability and predictable income.

Annuities can offer:

• Predictable lifetime income
• Tax-deferred growth
• Protection against outliving your assets

They can complement traditional investments by providing income security when market conditions fluctuate.

Annuities can be helpful as you approach retirement or wish to shift from growth to income preservation. The right time depends on your goals, age, and financial situation. A consultation can help determine how an annuity may fit into your strategy.

IUL policies provide both a death benefit and the opportunity to build cash value. The cash value grows based on a market index but is protected from market losses. This allows for potential upside with downside protection, plus flexible premiums and tax-advantaged features.

Yes. Properly structured IUL policies can allow you to access accumulated cash value through policy loans or withdrawals (often tax-advantaged) to supplement income in retirement. The death benefit remains in place to help protect your loved ones or transfer wealth.

Life insurance policies typically grow tax-deferred. Policy loans and withdrawals can be accessed tax-advantaged, and death benefits are generally income-tax-free to beneficiaries. Because everyone’s situation differs, we recommend reviewing these options with your tax advisor.

No. Life insurance can serve multiple purposes throughout life: protecting income, funding retirement needs, covering final expenses, or creating a legacy for heirs. Many clients use modern life insurance as part of their overall wealth and retirement strategy.

Integrating tools like Fixed Index Annuities and Indexed Universal Life can help balance growth potential with protection and flexibility. This combination may create more predictable income, preserve legacy value, and reduce exposure to market volatility.