[greeneggs]

> If you composed a portfolio of high dividend, stable, stocks... Could you theoretically have a "guaranteed" monthly income AND the ability to liquidate, in the event of an emergency?

No. You can buy an annuity, or US Treasury bonds, but guaranteed high returns don't exist, and adding in a liquidity requirement doesn't help.

Note that GM declared bankruptcy in 2009. Even if it is still "too big to fail," that doesn't mean investors can't lose all their money.

[iumtuip2001]

I never claimed guaranteed high returns. An annuity doesn't guarantee you "high" monthly income. It guarantees you AN monthly income.

My comment was to address the question regarding why more people don't use annuities, and I'm not sure your response counters that.

Regarding GM, yes, I'm aware they went bankrupt. But correct me if I'm wrong - Investors didn't lose their shares? The government bailed them out, and they're operational today. That's what I mean by "too big to fail".

[greeneggs]

> In the case of GM, investors who held shares of the company before its reorganization saw their equity holdings cancelled in March, 2011. Per the company's reorganization plan, they did not receive any shares of the "new" GM.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/02/23/what-a-corp...