In Episode 108 of the Atlas Annuity Podcast, Marty Becker, owner and founder of Atlas Financial Strategies in St. Louis, Missouri, explores one of the most creative retirement strategies he has come across in recent memory — using an annuity to pay your mortgage at a discount.

It all started with an email from one of Marty's sharpest clients, Dave, who asked a simple but brilliant question: could an insurance company essentially take over his mortgage payments for the next five years, and do it for less than he actually owes?

After running the numbers, Marty breaks down exactly how a 5-Year Term Certain Single Premium Immediate Annuity works, why the math makes sense, and how retirees can potentially lock in years of guaranteed mortgage payments while putting thousands of dollars back in their pocket — with zero market risk.

In this episode, Marty covers:

• What a 5-Year Term Certain SPIA is and how it works
• How Dave's strategy turned $115,000 into $129,000 worth of mortgage payments
• When this strategy makes sense and what most people overlook
• Why guaranteed income can be one of the smartest tools in a retirement plan

If you are approaching retirement or already retired and still carrying a mortgage, this episode is a must listen.

Record highs are hiding a massive retirement risk—and most people headed into retirement have no idea.

In this episode, Marty Becker breaks down what is really happening beneath the surface of today's market and why the old retirement playbook may not work the way people expect.

The stock market is at all-time highs. Tech stocks are booming and Wall Street is acting like the future is perfectly clear. But underneath that optimism, nearly half of major indexes are still technically in bear markets. Oil prices are surging. Inflation may not actually be under control. And some of the smartest macroeconomic minds out there are now comparing today's environment to one of the strangest economic periods in modern history — the late 1970s.

Marty references The Wellington Letter, written by Bert Dohmen — a man who has called nearly every bull and bear market over the past 40 years — and his team's belief that we are entering a market environment very similar to 1978 through 1980:

• Inflation was soaring and interest rates were rising fast
• Commodities like gold and silver were exploding higher
• And yet — stocks still pushed upward as investors searched for inflation hedges
• Money flowed into stocks, energy, precious metals, and other hard assets

The big takeaway? Markets and economies rarely behave the way people expect. If you are approaching retirement and still relying on the same old strategy, this environment could catch you completely off guard.

This isn't just a market update — it's a warning. And for anyone close to retirement, it's one worth hearing.

Artificial intelligence can write essays, analyze data, and answer almost any question you throw at it. So it's no surprise that people have started asking AI about their retirement money.

But here's the truth — AI annuity advice can actually be very helpful. Or it can be a very expensive mistake. And knowing the difference could save your retirement.

In this episode, Marty Becker shares a real client story that sparked this conversation — a client who came to him ready to buy a specific annuity because AI recommended it. The problem? That product wasn't even available in their state.

Marty then does something different — he actually asks AI three questions directly:

• When does it make sense to use AI for annuity advice?
• When does it NOT make sense?
• How will AI change the annuity industry in the future?

The answers might surprise you.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why AI is a great tool for learning about annuities — but a dangerous one for making decisions
• The difference between annuity education and annuity advice
• Why there's no such thing as "the best annuity" — and why AI doesn't know that
• What AI gets right, what it gets wrong, and what that means for your retirement

If you're using AI to research your retirement options — this episode is a must listen before you make any moves.