A New Strategy to Maximize Retirement Withdrawals Using TIPS and Longevity Insurance

Previous studies suggest that retirees face the risk of financial ruin even with (real) withdrawal rates as low as 4%. This paper proposes a new retirement investment strategy using Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) and longevity insurance products that would permit annual withdrawal rates in excess of 5% without any risk of ruin; this strategy does not require retirees to irrevocably commit their entire savings in an annuity at retirement. The strategy can be implemented at minimal cost by retirees and their financial advisers. Institutional providers can adapt this strategy to design and develop products that provide inflation adjusted lifetime annuities, while allowing retirees to retain control over most of their savings in retirement.