Imagine you’ve just arrived at your doctor’s office. One of the first things you’ll do is answer questions about the prescription drugs and vitamins you take. Why? Your doctor needs to know what medications you’re taking to prevent any unintended consequences from drug interactions. To make the best possible recommendations, your doctor needs all the information.

Many retirees depend on pensions to fund their retirement, and many employers still offer Defined Benefit pension plans. At retirement, Defined Benefit Plan participants typically have the option to receive their pension as a lump sum (single) payment or in the form of annuity payments.

Editor’s Note: This article was co-authored with D.L. Thomas. No one thought 2020 would be like this: a global health crisis, an economic contraction and millions of Americans out of work. The rest of us, now bound to our homes, are unable to live our lives as we normally would, while essential workers are risking their lives to keep us all safe. Then, before we get to the light at the end of the tunnel, civil unrest swept across our nation.