Protect
Safe Money Programs
- Fixed indexed annuities with a 0% floor
- 401(k) and IRA rollovers
- Guaranteed lifetime income
- Protect your nest egg if you need nursing home or long-term care
What keeps retirees up at night
Seven risks that can undo a lifetime of saving, and how we plan for each one
What you keep matters more than what you earn. A good plan names each risk and puts a specific tool against it.
Market losses Safe money
Fixed indexed annuities credit interest linked to a market index, with a floor that keeps your balance from falling when the market does. Safe money programs
Taxes Roth & tax-free
Roth conversions, done in the right years and the right amounts, move money from "taxed later" to "tax-free forever." For high earners, alternatives can do the same job. Roth conversions and alternatives
Outliving your money Lifetime income
An income floor of Social Security plus guaranteed lifetime income covers your essential bills, no matter how long you live or what the market does.
A health crisis or long-term care Living benefits & care protection
Protect your nest egg in case you need nursing home care or long-term care. Life insurance with living benefits, hybrid life and long-term care policies, and annuity income riders can pay while you're living, so a health event doesn't drain your savings or burden your children.
Lawsuits and creditors Asset protection
Properly structured trusts, the right insurance and the right account types can help judgment-proof you and your family before trouble ever shows up. Trust planning
Inflation and low returns Protected growth
Index-linked growth with downside protection, plus tax-free accumulation in properly designed indexed universal life, keeps your plan ahead of rising prices. Wealth strategies
Leaving a legacy Legacy & giving
Leave money to your kids, grandkids and favorite charitable causes or foundations, on your terms. Tax-free life insurance proceeds, Roth accounts, the right beneficiary designations, trusts and charitable strategies help more of what you've built reach the people and causes you care about. Legacy and trust planning
The 3-Bucket Retirement Savings Strategy
Put every dollar in the right bucket
The bucket strategy answers a simple question: when will you need this money? Bucket 1 pays the bills. Bucket 2 refills Bucket 1. Bucket 3 is given years to recover. Nobody is forced to sell stocks at the bottom to buy groceries.
1
Now
Years 1–3 of retirement incomeCash, high-yield savings, money market funds and short-term CDs, plus guaranteed income already switched on: Social Security, pensions and annuity income.
2
Soon
Years 4–10Protected money with modest growth: fixed and fixed indexed annuities, bond ladders and IUL cash value. This bucket refills Bucket 1.
3
Later
Years 11 and beyondGrowth: diversified stock funds, real estate, Roth accounts invested for growth and long-duration IUL cash value. Given time, this bucket recovers from market drops.
And the three tax buckets
Where your money sits decides how much of it you keep
Most retirees have nearly everything in one tax bucket, usually tax-deferred. Spreading savings across all three gives you control: each year you choose which bucket to draw from, so you can keep your tax bracket low, reduce the tax on your Social Security and avoid higher Medicare premiums.
Taxable
Taxed every year as you go
What's in it: savings and checking, CDs, money market funds and brokerage accounts.
How it's taxed: interest is taxed each year as income; dividends and gains on investments held over a year are usually taxed at lower capital-gains rates.
Best used for: your emergency fund and Bucket 1 spending money, and as a bridge in early retirement while you do Roth conversions.
Tax-deferred
Taxed later, when you take it out
What's in it: 401(k)s, 403(b)s, 457 plans, traditional IRAs and non-qualified annuities.
How it's taxed: every dollar withdrawn is taxed as ordinary income, and required minimum distributions (RMDs) force withdrawals starting at age 73 or 75, whether you need the money or not.
Best used for: filling the low tax brackets each year, planned Roth conversions, and charitable gifts from your IRA (qualified charitable distributions) after age 70½.
Tax-free
Taxed once, never again
What's in it: Roth IRAs and Roth 401(k)s, health savings accounts used for medical costs, and the cash value of properly designed indexed universal life (IUL).
How it's taxed: qualified withdrawals are tax-free, have no RMDs for the original Roth IRA owner, and don't count toward the tax on your Social Security.
Best used for: big or unexpected expenses, late-retirement income, and money you want to leave to your children tax-free.
Tax rules change. We coordinate every move with your CPA; Wealth Strategies USA does not give tax or legal advice.
How we help
Five ways we put your plan to work
Convert
Roth Conversions & Alternatives
- Bracket-by-bracket conversion plans
- Fewer RMD and IRMAA surprises
- Options when you earn too much for a Roth
Grow
Wealth Strategies
- Tax-free income with indexed universal life
- College funding and "be your own banker"
- Income for life and legacy planning
Shield
Exclusive Trusts
- Protection from lawsuits and creditors
- Control over how heirs receive money
- Strategies for appreciated assets and charitable giving
Bank on yourself
Be Your Own Banker with Indexed Universal Life (IUL)
- Cash value that grows with a 0% floor against market losses
- Borrow for cars, college, business or real estate, then pay yourself back
- Tax-free retirement income and a death benefit for your family
Retire with income you can't outlive and savings the market can't touch.
Getting started
Three steps to a Worry-Free Retirement Plan
1
A free review
A 30-minute conversation, by phone or video, about where you are today and what you want retirement to look like. No cost and no obligation.
2
Your written plan
Your essentials, lifestyle, luxury and legacy buckets; an income floor; a tax map for the years ahead; and the protection your family needs.
3
Put it in place, then review it yearly
We help you set up each piece and meet every year, after you meet your CPA, to adjust for new tax rules, market changes and changes in your life.
The Pivot Series by Suba Narla
Six books, one goal: a retirement with guaranteed income, tax-free flexibility and protection from the risks that keep retirees awake at night
Book OneThe Wealth PivotTax strategies from $250,000 to $100 million
Book TwoThe Tax-Free PivotRoth conversions, ages 50 to 75
Book ThreeThe Protected PivotAnnuities, rollovers and safe money
Book FourThe Private Bank PivotBe your own banker with IUL
Book FiveThe Living Benefits PivotGet paid while you're living
Book SixThe Worry-Free Retirement PivotAges 20 to 75, with a smile
New · The Pivot Book Set
All six Pivot books, together in one set
Tax strategy, Roth conversions, safe money, being your own banker, living benefits, and the plan that ties it all together. Read them in order or start with the one that fits where you are today. The set also makes a meaningful gift for children and grandchildren who are just starting out.
Case examples
See how the strategies work for real families
From the sale of a primary residence to trust planning for a growing estate, our case examples walk through the starting point, the strategy and the result.
"Close the gap with guarantees, and worry leaves the room."— Suba Narla, The Worry-Free Retirement Pivot
About the founder
Suba Narla
Financial Advisor, Wealth Strategist and Founder of Wealth Strategies USA, and the author of The Pivot Series.
Suba's work centers on a simple idea: the mechanics of a good retirement plan, from how withdrawals are sequenced to when Roth conversions make sense to how guaranteed income is built, are the same at every level of wealth. What changes are the tools and the risks. He writes the way he advises, in plain English, so families can make confident decisions.
Suba is an independent insurance broker affiliated with several insurance companies, including American Equity, Annexus, Athene, Nationwide, North American, Allianz, Securian and Symetra. Companies are named for educational purposes only.
Book a free Financial Review
Let's talk about your retirement
Tell us a little about yourself and the best time to reach you. There's no cost and no obligation.
Toll-free(855) 644-3309
Phone(480) 726-9450
EmailContact@WealthStrategiesUSA.com
Websitewww.WealthStrategiesUSA.com