The Retirement Atlas — Disclaimer

Version 1.2.1 (Annuity-Only Scope, Option B Two-Checkbox Consent) Effective date: 2026-06-02 Operator: The Retirement Atlas LLC, an Indiana limited liability company

*Changes vs Version 1.0 (live): operator description switched from Wyoming to Indiana; methodology page reference now points at a real page; SEC Marketing Rule references removed and replaced with state annuity advertising rules and the NAIC Suitability in Annuity Transactions Model Regulation as the primary applicable compliance regime for matched-specialist disclosure; scope narrowed from general financial advisor referrals to annuity-only referrals; explicit consumer notice that TRA does not match consumers with investment advisers, broker-dealers, non-annuity insurance producers, or other categories.*

Educational use and not advice

Educational use only. The Retirement Atlas ("TRA") provides educational and informational tools, content, and reports. Nothing on this site or in any TRA tool, report, email, chart, or number is, or should be construed as, financial, investment, tax, legal, accounting, or insurance advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security, annuity, insurance product, or other asset, or to engage or terminate any financial professional.

Projections are illustrations. The figures and observations shown by our tools and reports are illustrations generated from the inputs and assumptions you provide and from documented engine formulas. They are not forecasts, guarantees, or recommendations. Small changes to inputs can produce meaningfully different results. We do not adjust these numbers to reflect market movements, tax law changes, or your individual circumstances beyond what you have entered. The full methodology is published at theretirementatlas.com/methodology.

TRA is not a licensed professional. TRA is not a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, insurance agent or insurance producer, Certified Financial Planner, accountant, or attorney. TRA does not provide personalized financial, investment, tax, legal, accounting, or insurance advice. The tools and content on this site are not a substitute for advice from a licensed professional who knows your specific situation.

Consult your own licensed financial professional. Before making any financial decision based on anything you see on this site, consult a licensed financial professional of your choosing.

Scope of the matching service

TRA's optional matching service connects consumers exclusively with licensed annuity specialists for the discussion of annuity-based retirement income solutions. A licensed annuity specialist, for purposes of this matching service, is a state-licensed insurance producer holding annuity-line authority (also referred to in some states as life-and-annuity authority) in the consumer's state of residence.

TRA does not match consumers with: registered investment advisers in their advisory capacity, broker-dealers or registered representatives in their securities capacity, general financial planners, Certified Financial Planners outside the scope of an annuity discussion, life insurance producers acting in a non-annuity capacity, long-term care insurance producers, disability insurance producers, health insurance producers, or any other category of professional outside the annuity-specialist lane.

If you are seeking a fee-only fiduciary investment advisory relationship, you should consult independent directories of fee-only advisers (such as the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors at napfa.org or the XY Planning Network at xyplanningnetwork.com) rather than rely on TRA's matching service. TRA does not currently offer a matching path for fee-only investment advisory relationships.

If you are seeking life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability insurance, health insurance, or any non-annuity insurance product, TRA's marketplace is not the right place to find a producer for that purpose, and you should consult an independent agent, a comparison-shopping site for that specific product type, or your state's insurance commissioner consumer-help resources.

If you choose to be introduced to an annuity specialist in TRA's reviewed network, that introduction is not a recommendation by TRA and TRA does not represent that the specialist acts in any particular capacity toward you beyond the annuity discussion scope. You remain responsible for evaluating that specialist for yourself.

Past performance does not predict future results

Past performance does not predict future results. Real-world outcomes depend on factors not modeled here, including market behavior, tax law, individual health, insurance carrier solvency, and unpredictable life events.

How we're paid

TRA is paid a flat per-lead referral fee by annuity specialists in its reviewed network when an anonymized listing in our specialist-facing marketplace (Advisor Atlas Leads, "AAL") is purchased by a specialist and the consumer's contact information is released to that specialist. A listing only appears in AAL if you have affirmatively opted in via one of two separate, unbundled consent boxes at the end of your retirement-map journey: Box 1 ("Match me now") or Box 2 ("Optional future match"). Saving your map, receiving the map by email, or using any free TRA educational tool does not list you in AAL. The referral fee is a fixed amount per lead set in advance based on the consumer's reported asset band, journey-completion signals, and stated contact preferences. It is not tied to whether the specialist closes a sale, what product the specialist may sell, the size of any commission the specialist may earn, or any other outcome that occurs after the introduction. The matched specialist sells annuity products on commission and may earn a commission if you purchase one; we do not share in that commission and our fee does not change based on whether the commission is earned.

A purchased lead is permanently released to one matched annuity specialist. AAL does not, at any time and under any circumstances, resell, re-match, re-list, or otherwise transfer the consumer's information from that lead to any other specialist. If a listing is never purchased within the 90-day listing window, the listing is removed from the marketplace and no specialist receives the consumer's information.

TRA does not sell your information to firms outside its reviewed network. TRA does not rank specialists based on the fees they pay TRA. TRA does not auction leads to the highest bidder.

If you have been matched, the matched specialist is required, at or before your initial contact, to provide you a verbal or written disclosure that:

• the specialist is a state-licensed insurance producer with annuity-line authority in your state;
• the specialist paid TRA a flat referral fee for the introduction;
• the specialist earns commission on any annuity product you may purchase from the specialist;
• there is no obligation to purchase any product from the specialist.

This disclosure obligation is required by applicable state annuity advertising rules (which vary by state but include rules requiring disclosure of paid-referral arrangements and material conflicts of interest), by the NAIC Suitability in Annuity Transactions Model Regulation as adopted in your state, and by TRA's contract with the specialist. If you did not receive this disclosure during your initial contact with a matched specialist, contact us at legal@theretirementatlas.com and we will address it directly with the specialist.

Consult your own licensed financial professional

You should consult your own licensed financial professional of your choosing before making any financial decision based on anything you see on this site. If you choose to be introduced to an annuity specialist in our reviewed network, that introduction is not a recommendation by TRA and does not relieve you of the responsibility to evaluate that specialist for yourself, including:

• verifying their state insurance producer license and active annuity-line authority through your state Department of Insurance license-lookup page;
• reviewing any annuity illustration the specialist provides, including all fees, surrender periods, guaranteed and non-guaranteed values, the assumed credited rate or index used, the cap and participation rates, and the carrier's financial strength rating (A.M. Best, S&P, Moody's, Fitch, or Comdex);
• reading any disclosure document, buyer's guide, or contract specimen the carrier provides;
• understanding the free-look period available under your state's law (typically 10 to 30 days depending on the state);
• comparing the specialist's recommendations against independent sources, including the carrier's own product brochure and at least one comparable product from a different carrier, before purchasing any annuity.

Footer disclaimer (verbatim)

© [Year] The Retirement Atlas. All rights reserved.

The The Retirement Atlas provides educational and informational content only. Nothing on this site is, or should be construed as, financial, investment, tax, legal, accounting, or insurance advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security, annuity, or other asset, or to engage or terminate any financial professional. Projections are illustrative only, are based on assumptions that may not reflect your circumstances, and are not guarantees of future results. Past performance does not predict future results. Our optional matching service connects consumers exclusively with state-licensed annuity specialists for the discussion of annuity-based retirement income solutions; the service does not match consumers with registered investment advisers, broker-dealers, general financial planners, or non-annuity insurance producers. Consult your own licensed financial professional before making any financial decision.

*End of Disclaimer v1.1. Effective 2026-06-02 for publication.*