One of the things to remember when you are saving for retirement is that once you reach age 70.5, you are required to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) each year from your retirement account.
Even if you don’t want the money.
If you don’t take the RMD, you will find yourself hit with an excise tax. So, while you do need to remember that you cannot withdraw from most tax-advantaged retirement plans until you are 59.5, you also need to plan for the fact that at some point you have to begin taking RMDs.

Jean, over at Small Business Boomers and of The Thriving Writer fame, submitted this question for Ask the Piggy Bank:
I’m looking at buying an annuity and I’m wondering what the difference is between a variable annuity and a fixed one.
This is an excellent question. Annuities are used as retirement income. Basically, they are savings investments that offer an annual rate of return.  They are tax-deferred and pay a death benefit should you die before collecting. Like other retirement investment accounts, you can’t access them before age 59 1/2 without penalty.
Fixed annuity
When you add a fixed annuity to your retirement …read more