The average American is living longer, which means that your savings have to last longer too. At the same time, the decline of pensions has made it harder to be financially prepared for retirement. Preparing for retirement with just savings exposes you to market volatility and risks, i.e. your investments might lose value and/or you might live longer than you expect. Guaranteed retirement income — like pensions and annuities — mitigates both of these risks.  Visit our Life Expectancy Tables page to see your life expectancy.