This document discusses how life insurance can help achieve retirement goals by providing tax advantages. It notes that life insurance builds cash value on a tax-deferred basis that can supplement retirement through tax-favored loans and withdrawals. The document provides an example of a couple using policy withdrawals in retirement to lower their taxes while funding special expenses. It highlights the benefits of leveraging a life insurance policy for retirement through its death benefit, tax-deferred growth, and potential access to cash values.

1. Life insurance in retirement
Looking long-term
Reach your
retirement goals and
improve your tax
situation with
life insurance
At-a-glance
Insurance products are issued by Minnesota Life Insurance Company in all states
except New York. In New York, products are issued by Securian Life Insurance
Company, a New York admitted insurer. Both companies are headquartered in Saint
Paul, MN. Product availability and features may vary by state. Each insurer is solely
responsible for the financial obligations under the policies or contracts it issues.
Life Insurance in Retirement Planning
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2. 2
Keeping promises since 1880
STRENGTH AND INTEGRITY When it comes to protecting your
family, the quality of the company you work with becomes
especially important. Securian Financial Group, the holding
company parent of Minnesota Life and Securian Life, and its
affiliates have been providing comprehensive life insurance
solutions since 1880.
HIGHLY RATED Minnesota Life Insurance Company and Securian
Life Insurance Company, a New York admitted insurer, are highly
rated by the major independent rating agencies that analyze
the financial soundness and claims-paying ability of insurance
companies. For more information about the rating agencies and to
see where our ratings appear relative to other ratings, please see
our website at securian.com/ratings.
EXPERTISE TO MAKE IT ALL WORK Creating your life insurance
solution doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Your financial advisor
has the knowledge and expertise to help make life insurance work
for your family’s needs.
WHAT’S
INSIDE
Contributions and taxation
of retirement assets 3
Preparing for the unexpected
and Achieving your goals 4
Case study and Types of
life insurance policies 5
Life insurance benefits and Considerations 6
Summary 7

3. 3
Most people think planning for retirement involves saving as much money
as possible and investing it wisely by diversifying. But in addition to
diversifying investments, smart retirement savers also consider how
taxes will affect their retirement dollars.
There are a number of ways to save for retirement and withdraw income once
retirement arrives. It’s important to consider the contribution, accumulation and
distribution tax characteristics of these options.
A financial advisor can help you determine the combination of assets that best
suits your needs. After you have maximized your qualified plan contributions,
consider protecting your hard-earned assets with a life insurance death benefit
that’s income-tax free. A properly funded life insurance policy can help protect your
retirement strategy and provide a potential source of supplemental retirement income.
Diversification does not guarantee against loss. It is a method of managing risk.
Contribution and tax characteristics of retirement assets
Annual limits
on contributions
Tax-deferred
accumulation
Tax-preferred
distribution
Income-tax-free
death benefits
Subject to healthcare
surtax - 3.8%
Traditional IRA1
Roth IRA1
Qualified Plan
Certificate of deposit
Municipal bond2
Individual owned
deferred annuity3, 4
Life insurance5, 6
Qualified plan
A retirement savings
plan that qualifies for
special tax treatment
under IRS regulations.
Usually offered through
employers, qualified
plans allow employees
to contribute part of
their earnings to the
plan before taxes are
deducted.
1
The ability to contribute or deduct contributions may be limited by adjusted gross income limits.
2
The principal value of bonds will fluctuate with market conditions. Bonds redeemed prior to maturity may be worth more or less than their original cost. Bond interest
paid by a municipality outside the state in which you reside could be subject to state and local income taxes. If you sell a municipal bond at a profit, you could incur
capital gains taxes. In some cases, municipal bond interest could be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax.
3
An annuity is a long-term, tax-deferred investment vehicle designed for retirement. Earnings are taxable as ordinary income when distributed, and if withdrawn before
age 59½, may be subject to a 10 percent federal tax penalty. If the annuity will fund an IRA or other tax-qualified plan, the tax-deferral feature offers no additional
value. Not FDIC/ NCUA insured. Not bank guaranteed. Not insured by any Federal Government Agency. There are charges and expenses associated with annuities, such
as deferred sales charges for early withdrawals.
4
Upon annuitization, a portion of principal is included in the annuity payout and is not subject to income taxes.
5
Life insurance products contain fees, such as mortality and expense charges, and may contain restrictions, such as surrender periods.
6
Withdrawals and loans from a life insurance contract are subject to special tax rules if the policy is a Modified Endowment Contract (MEC).
Other than contribution limits or tax treatment, several other factors should be considered before purchasing any of these products. These include investment
objectives, costs and expenses, liquidity, safety, fluctuation of principal or return, credit rates, rider availability, surrender periods and other product/investment
characteristics.

4. 4
Preparing for the unexpected
It’s also important to prepare for the events that could derail your vision of
retirement. Three occurrences in particular need to be considered: job loss, sickness
or premature death. Life insurance can help address all three.
During your working years, the cash value you build in a life insurance policy can be
an important source of backup funds if you become sick or disabled, or lose your job.
The death benefit may replace income your family would otherwise lose if something
happened to you.
When you retire, you can supplement your income by accessing a policy’s cash value
through tax-favored loans and withdrawals. You are likely to pay taxes on other sources
of retirement income, but you can take income-tax-free withdrawals of cash value up to
the amount of premiums paid and loans against your policy.
Depending upon actual policy experience, the owner may need to increase premium payments to keep the policy in force.
Policy loans and withdrawals may create an adverse tax result in the event of a lapse or policy surrender, and will reduce both
the cash value and death benefit.
Using life insurance to help
achieve your retirement goals
The reason to buy life insurance is the death benefit it provides
to you and your family. A life insurance policy leaves your family
or heirs with an income-tax-free death benefit if you die.
A life insurance policy can suit your death benefit
needs but also provides accumulation that can
supplement your retirement. Cash value life
insurance builds cash value on a tax-deferred
basis. At retirement, you may access any
potential policy cash to supplement your
retirement income via tax-favored loans
and withdrawals.
Tax-deferred
Earnings grow
without being taxed
until some point in
the future, usually
at withdrawal.
The power of com-
pounding allows tax-
deferred accounts to
grow faster than tax-
able accounts earning
the same return.

5. 5
Which life insurance policies can
help with my retirement?
Minnesota Life and Securian Life offer several life insurance policies that provide accumulation in addition
to death benefit protection. Whether it be fixed interest, indexed or variable life insurance, we have a
product solution for you.
Life insurance products contain fees, such as mortality and expense charges, and may contain restrictions, such as surrender periods. Variable life insurance
products contain additional fees, such as management fees and fund expenses. The variable investment options are subject to market risk, including loss of principal.
Policyholders could lose money in this product.
Benefit
Life stage
Life insurance
protection
Life insurance
protection
Cash value/policy
loans for financial
emergencies
Life insurance
protection
Cash value/loans for
financial emergencies
and goals
Retirement income
through cash value
Financial legacy
20s and 30s 30s and 40s 50s and 60s 70 and beyond
How life insurance supports a lifetime
of financial needs and goals
Supporting their retirement
lifestyle while lowering taxes
Jack and Janine each purchase $250,000 whole life insurance policies in their 30s –
when they have two children and a large mortgage. By the time they reach 60,
their children have grown and are living on their own, and the mortgage is paid off.
Their life policies have accumulated combined cash value of almost $200,000.
When they retire in their early 60s, they use pension income to cover
basic living costs, and make withdrawals from cash value to cover
special expenses, including travel and larger gifts. Because
these withdrawals are not taxed, their tax liability is lower
than if they had used other assets.
This is a hypothetical example for illustrative purposes only.

6. 6
The benefits of building life insurance
into your retirement strategy
REMEMBERTHINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN CONSIDERING LIFE INSURANCE
• The primary purpose of life insurance is to
provide death benefit protection. If you don’t
need financial protection in the event of death,
there may be other ways to achieve your goals.
• Withdrawals and loans can reduce the policy
death benefit and cash surrender value and
may cause the policy to lapse. Lapse of a life
insurance policy can cause the loss of death
benefit and potential adverse income tax
consequences.
• Indexed life insurance policies are credited
interest based on the periodic changes in an
associated index. They do not represent an
investment in a stock index.
• Policies classified as MECs may be subject to tax
when a loan or withdrawal is made, and a federal
tax penalty of 10 percent may also apply if the
loan or withdrawal is taken prior to age 59½. You
should ensure that the policy is not structured as
a MEC.
• At your death, benefits are paid to your beneficiaries.
WITHDRAWING CASH VALUE
FROM A LIFE INSURANCE POLICY
By taking loans against the death benefit and
withdrawals from cash value, a life policy can be used
to supplement retirement income.
Cash value
Withdrawals
Supplement
to retirement
income
Death benefit
Policy loans
Premium
Modified Endowment
Contract (MEC)
Life insurance policies
where premium pay-
ments exceed limits
defined in the tax code
become MECs. The
death benefit in a MEC
remains tax free, but
distributions may be
subject to taxes or
penalties.
• The income-tax-free death
benefit financially protects
your family or beneficiaries
if something unexpected
happens to you.
• Tax-deferred accumulation
allows policy cash values to
grow faster than they would in
a taxable account.
• You can have access to policy
cash value through tax-free
loans and withdrawals,
provided the policy is not
a Modified Endowment
Contract (MEC).
• Potential growth of cash value.

7. Life insurance can be
a valuable retirement
asset forpeoplewho:
• Have significant savings or investment
in taxable accounts or plans.
• Want to provide loved ones or heirs
with a tax-free benefit if they die.
• Value leaving a financial legacy.
• Want to build cash value for financial
flexibility in the future.
Talk to your financial advisor today about
how life insurance can provide a lifetime
of financial protection and make your
retirement more rewarding.
7

8. This information is a general discussion of the relevant federal tax laws. It is not intended for, nor can it be used by any taxpayer for the purpose of
avoiding federal tax penalties. This information is provided to support the promotion or marketing of ideas that may benefit a taxpayer. Taxpayers
should seek the advice of their own tax and legal advisors regarding any tax and legal issues applicable to their specific circumstances.
You should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of a portfolio and the variable insurance product carefully
before investing. The portfolio and variable insurance product prospectuses contain this and other information. You may obtain a copy of the
prospectus from your representative. Please read the prospectuses carefully before investing.
Securian Financial Group, Inc.
www.securian.com
Variable products distributed by Securian Financial Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC.
400 Robert Street North, St. Paul, MN 55101-2098 • 1-800-820-4205
©2013 Securian Financial Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
F72497-1 Rev 5-2013 DOFU 5-2013
A01395-0413