Jun 02 2026 12:30
Summertime!!!
Jim Hutson
Safe Money Strategies Newsletter
Brought to you by: The Jim Hutson Agency, LLC
Issue 213
June 2026
Inside This Issue…
Summertime!!! ….Pg 1
Health in the News ….Pg. 2
Animal Quiz …Pg. 2
Don’t Miss your RMD …Pg 2
Beat this Trivia Question and Win Free Food at Sonic …Pg. 2
Recipe of the Month …Pg. 3
Meds and Nightmares …Pg. 3
What are “Surrender Charges? …Pg 4
Summertime!!!
School’s out. Students and teachers are enjoying time away from instruction and schoolwork.
With the warm weather, it’s time to enjoy the outdoors. Swimming pools are open and it’s time to enjoy the free time. It’s vacation season, too. Families are planning trips and adventures. Teachers are having good times, too. I saw a sign outside an elementary school…. A message to parents … It simply said, “Tag…. You’re IT!”
So, head on out to the lake. Go see those relatives you’ve been missing. Take that cruise or special trip. Relax in the pool. Go fishing. Do whatever you please, because it’s summer.
During our trip to Ireland in April, Frances and I enjoyed meeting the people there and seeing the beautiful countryside. Our trip was provided to us as a reward for annuity sales I made in 2025, and I was surprised to find that I was among the top 3 salespeople in the entire nation. I was honored to receive a “diamond” award in recognition for my efforts in helping people with their annuities last year. Here’s a snapshot of my “diamond” award. Thanks to YOU for helping me earn it! …..Jim
Health in the News…..
Unique Facts about the Human Body…
- About a liter of saliva is produced every day.
- The eyes blink about 20 times per minute.
- The heart muscle never gets tired.
- The skin is the largest organ in the human body.
- The body creates more than 3.8 million new cells every second.
- The thigh bone (femur) is the largest bone in the body.
- The brain and heart are made up of 73% water.
- The ears and nose continue to grow through your life.
- The total length of blood vessels reaches about 96,500 kilometers
- The adult human brain weighs around 1,300 to 1,400 grams.
- About 50 to 100 strands of hair fall out every day.
….webMD.com
Animal Quiz
- What land mammal has the most teeth?
- What is the only marsupial living in the USA?
- What is the biggest land weasel?
- What are the only cats that live together in groups?
- What is the largest tree-dwellling animal?
(Answers found on page 3)
Don’t Miss Your RMD!
If you own any type of tax-qualified plan (IRA, 401k, 403b, etc), you must take a Required Minimum Distribution each year after you turn 73 and pay the tax owed on the amount at ordinary income tax rates. It is the tax payer’s responsibility to take the distribution. A missed RMD is considered an excess IRA accumulation and you will pay a penalty – called an excise tax – of 25% of the amount that should have been taken, plus the tax owed on the distribution. You will need to file form 5329, Additional Taxes on Qualified Plans, to calculate the penalty amount.
If you turn 73 this year, you have until April 1, 2027 to take your first RMD. You can take the distribution at any time during the year, but most people take theirs as late as possible, usually in December.
Questions about RMDs? Give me a call. ………..Jim
“Who Wants to Win Free food at Sonic?”
What constitutes a “surrender charge” in an indexed annuity?
A. MVA
B. Bonus recovery
C. A 10% charge
D. All of these
The 4th person with the correct answer to the Question of the Month will receive a gift card to Sonic – just for reading this newsletter. Text or email responses only.
The May winner was Forrest Hebert.
Thought for the Month
“I can learn to live without a lot of things. However, music is not one of them..”
…anonymous
Answers to Quiz
- Giant armadillo
- Opossum
- Wolverine
- Lions
- Orangutan
Meds and Nightmares
Some medications appear to make nightmares more likely. Antidepressants, antimicrobials and beta-blockers, drugs to treat high blood pressure and Parkinson’s disease, … medications to help quit smoking … and stimulants such as amphetamines are the most common culprits.
Some drugs are often used to treat conditions that may themselves cause nightmares, such as depression, anxiety disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder. So don’t stop taking a medicine just because it may cause nightmares. Instead, just ask your doctor is there is an equally effective drug that is less likely to cause the problem.
WebMD.com
Recipe of the Month
Crisp and Delicious Summer Salad
Ingredients
Several little cucumbers sliced or 1 or 2 long English cucumbers, sliced.
2 cups cherry tomatoes, each cut in half
½ to 1 red onion, sliced thinly
2 tbsp fresh parsley – chopped (optional)
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp salt (to taste)
¼ tsp pepper
Optional – thinly sliced celery and/or sweet peppers (not bell peppers)
Dressing
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp oregano
…From the kitchen of Frances Hutson
Bulletin
One of the better annuity carriers just announced a 20% initial bonus on new money in a 10-year annuity. Guarantee of no market risk and a wide choice of outstanding index options to choose from. Great parking place for that long-term CD money! Give me a call … I’ll tell you about it. ………..Jim
What are “Surrender Charges?”
Annuities provide good, safe savings accounts for retirement. Indexed annuities are designed to provide for steady long-term growth through compound interest earnings. Protection from market risk and guaranteed income are hallmark benefits of such plans as well.
Annuity contracts are designed to be held for specific periods of time. 3,5,7, and 10 years are common durations for contracts. During the holding period, specific charges are imposed for “early” withdrawal of funds. These “surrender” charges enable the insurance company to continue to offer such policies to clients.
Surrender charges generally start at about 10%, and gradually decrease until the contract’s initial holding period runs out. The longer you wait before taking withdrawals, the less the surrender charge will be. Most plans allow for “free” withdrawal of funds after the contract’s first anniversary. 5-10% of the contract’s value after the waiting period is the usual free withdrawal amount. Example: The contract’s value after 1 year is $100,000. The surrender-free amount would be 10%, or $10,000. You could withdraw that amount without surrender charges. Income taxes would still apply, but surrender charges would be waived. Should you choose to withdraw a larger amount, say $15,000, The surrender charges would apply only to the additional $5,000 withdrawal above the $10,000 free amount.
In addition to surrender charges, contracts sometimes also impose “market value adjustments” to an early withdrawal, These amounts are tied to Federal treasury bills, and are variable depending on Federal Interest Rates. MVAs can be either positive or negative, depending on market conditions. If your annuity earned an interest rate bonus at issue, a portion of the bonus amount could also be due for early withdrawals. For “free’ withdrawals, there is never an MVA or bonus recovery charge imposed.
Annuities provide an outstanding savings opportunity with significant growth potential and protection from market losses.
The Jim Hutson Agency, LLC
Jim Hutson, Manager
6607 Roxton Drive
Amarillo, TX 79109
Websites
www.jimhutsonagency.com
www.texasretirementcouncil.com
Email:
jim@jimhutsonagency.com
Phone Numbers:
806 358 2137 home/office
806 654 6834 cell
806 358 6117 fax
The Jim Hutson Agency, LLC
Carmen Pennick (432) 631-7503
Fidelis Fetsch (806) 647-6123
Jim Hutson (806) 654-6834; Charlie Peters (806) 676-0569
Ron Knoy (806) 236-5761 Leslie Lee ((806) 670-4201
Ronnie Wood (806) 662-9089 J. Frank Davis (806) 676-8697
Caysi Jones (806) 477-0973 Joel Olson (806) 674-6996
