Elton John and the Alliance for Lifetime Income Continue Their “Yellow Brick Road to Financial Freedom” Partnership

Author: Michael Major

Date: 3/7/2023

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 7, 2023 — Elton John, the number one male recording artist of all time, announced today the continuation of his partnership with the Alliance for Lifetime Income to help his fans understand the importance of having protected income in retirement.

“My fans and I have traveled this yellow brick road together for decades, and I want to do what I can to make sure that what lies beyond it in their retirement is as fulfilling as possible,” said John in a video message released today by the Alliance.

The Alliance was Elton’s first and only non‐profit tour partner and the sole presenting partner of his 2022 Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour in North America last year.

Together, the Alliance, Elton and his husband David Furnish, CEO of Rocket Entertainment and chairman of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, heard from hundreds of thousands of fans along tour stops. The message was clear – financial security and planning for the next phase in life are hugely important to them. The couple plans to continue working with the Alliance to have these vital conversations throughout 2023.

“It’s important that we all take the steps needed to ensure financial freedom in our lives, to follow our own yellow brick road,” said Furnish. “Though Elton and I have been fortunate, the need to save, protect and plan for the future are universal principles and the same for all of us. Our continued partnership with the Alliance for Lifetime Income furthers our mission to stand for human dignity at every stage of life.”

More Americans will turn 65 in 2024 than at any point in history. However, the effects of Peak 65 are accelerated by the unexpected spike in the number of Americans who retired prematurely during the COVID-19 pandemic, largely due to layoffs or by choice.

“As our industry works to help Americans achieve a more secure retirement, this partnership is a great opportunity to educate and inform millions of Elton John’s fans about the value of protected income in your retirement plan,” said Caroline Feeney, Chair of the Alliance for Lifetime Income and CEO of U.S. Businesses for Prudential Financial, Inc.

The traditional model for retirement security – pensions, Social Security, and personal savings – has collapsed thanks to the disappearing company pension. With low savings and without a source of protected lifetime income to replace pensions, millions of Americans may not be able to live and maintain the lifestyle they want in retirement.

This reality, matched with fears of a looming recession, faltering stocks and bonds, and high interest rates, are some of the reasons that have led to an all-time high in annuity sales as Americans look to investments that can protect and provide protected income.

“I’m sure my fans have big plans for their next chapter just as I do,” said Elton. “I want my fans to follow their own Yellow Brick Road so they can continue to check off all of those amazing things on their bucket list. Over the past year, and thanks to the Alliance, David and I have learned that protected income from an annuity can help make that possible. I want all of my fans out there to learn about that, so they can enjoy the lifestyle they want.”

For Elton, his Yellow Brick Road leads to spending more time with family, pursuing groundbreaking new creative projects, being more active with his foundation, and continuing his commitment to diversity and economic equality for all.

For the Alliance, this continued partnership helps educate people who are approaching retirement and generations to come that financial freedom in retirement can come from having protected income.

“The Alliance was formed with a vision to ensure that no American should have to face the prospect of running out of money in retirement,” said Feeney. “This is a truly unique way to raise awareness and tell our story.”

About the Alliance for Lifetime Income

The Alliance for Lifetime Income is a non‐profit 501(c)(6) educational organization based in Washington, D.C., that creates awareness and educates Americans about the value and importance of having protected lifetime income in retirement. Our vision is for a country where no American has to face the prospect of running out of money in retirement. The Alliance provides consumers and financial advisors with educational resources, interactive tools, and actionable research and insights to use in building retirement income strategies and plans. We believe focusing attention and conversations on retirement income that lasts throughout life leads to greater retirement security for millions of Americans.

About Elton John

Elton’s career achievements to date are unsurpassed in their breadth and longevity. Elton is one of the top-selling solo artists of all time. In the UK and US charts alone he has 1 diamond, 32 platinum or multi-platinum, and 21 gold albums as well as over 70 Top 40 hits. He has sold more than 300 million records worldwide.

He holds the record for the biggest-selling single of all time, “Candle in the Wind 1997”, which sold over 33 million copies. Released in 2017 ‘Diamonds’ the Ultimate Greatest Hits album, became Elton’s 40th UK Top 40 album and has spent over 200 consecutive weeks in the top 75 of the UK album charts, over 110 of these in the top 20. This release celebrated 50 years of his songwriting partnership with Bernie Taupin. August 2018 saw Elton named as the most successful male solo artist in Billboard Hot 100 chart history, having logged 67 entries, including nine No. 1s and 27 Top 10s. ‘The Lockdown Sessions’, an album of collaborations recorded during the COVID-19 Pandemic, was released in October 2021 and went straight to number 1 in the UK album Charts, becoming Elton’s 8th UK number 1 album in the process. Its lead single “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix) with Dua Lipa” became a bona fide global hit, reaching number 1 in the UK and Australian singles charts. Its success meant that Elton became the first ever solo artist to score a UK Top 10 hit single in 6 consecutive decades. In America, he holds the record for longest span between Billboard top 40 hits at 50 years.

Elton announced the ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour at New York’s Gotham Hall in January 2018. Encompassing 5 continents, and over 350 dates, this 5-year-long tour started in September 2018 and marks his retirement from touring after more than 50 years on the road. In 2019 it was named Billboard’s Top Rock Tour and Pollstar’s Major Tour of The Year. To date, Elton has delivered more than 4,000 performances in more than 80 countries since launching his first tour in 1970. 2019 also saw the release of ‘Rocketman’ and global bestselling autobiography, ‘ME’. An epic fantasy musical motion picture of Elton’s life, ‘Rocketman’ has been a commercial and critical hit, taking close to $200m at the box office. It has won an Oscar, two Golden Globe Awards and a Critics’ Choice Award and garnered BAFTA nominations. Its soundtrack was also nominated for a GRAMMY Award.

Among the many awards and honours bestowed upon him are six GRAMMYs, including a GRAMMY Legend award, a Tony and two Oscars, a Best British Male Artist BRIT Award, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Kennedy Center Honor, Legend of Live Award, 13 Ivor Novello Awards between 1973 and 2001 and a knighthood from HM Queen Elizabeth II for “services to music and charitable services”.

In 1992, Elton established the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which today is one of the leading non-profit HIV/AIDS organizations and has raised over $515 million to date in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. In June 2019 President Emmanuel Macron presented Elton the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest award, for his lifetime contribution to the arts and the fight against HIV/AIDS. Elton was awarded the Companion of Honour in the 2021 New Year Honours list. The highest acknowledgement in the list, Elton became one of only 64 people to hold the honour. September 2019 saw The Royal Mail issue a set of 12 stamps as a tribute to Elton being one of the most popular and enduring music artists of all time. Elton was only the second individual music artist to be featured in a dedicated stamp issue. In July 2020 the Royal Mint released an Elton John commemorative coin, the second in their music legends series to celebrate ‘one of the most successful and enduring artists of all time’. Always a tireless champion of new artists, Elton has been a leading industry voice in lobbying the government for young artists visa-free touring rights in Europe post Brexit.

About David Furnish
Chief Executive Officer of Rocket Entertainment & Chairman of the Elton John AIDS Foundation

David Furnish is CEO of Rocket Entertainment and Chairman of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

He took the reins at Rocket Entertainment in 2015 with the aim of modernizing and refocusing the business globally for a modern era, while also managing Elton John full-time.

In particular this involved conceiving Elton John’s ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour, for which he is the Creative Director. Since its award-winning launch, the tour is without doubt one of the biggest and most spectacular finales in music history, and will see Elton play over 300 shows across five continents for more than five years.

As a producer, David also worked on bringing multi-award winning ‘Rocketman’, the epic fantasy musical motion picture of Elton’s life, to the silver screen in 2019. The film was critically lauded and went on to make over $200 million at the box office as well as winning an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and a Critics Choice Award.

Under David’s tenure as CEO of Rocket Entertainment he has also overseen the strategy for some of the most successful and impactful campaigns Elton has ever undertaken.

This includes the release of ‘Diamonds’, his ultimate greatest hits collection. The album is now certified Triple Platinum in the UK and has spent over 200 weeks in the top 75 of the UK album charts.

David also spearheaded the deal that saw the publication of Elton’s first official autobiography ‘Me’, which became an instant global bestseller and helped it sell over a million copies.

A tireless campaigner, and as Chairman of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, David is a leading voice in the worldwide fight against HIV and AIDS. To date they have raised in excess of $515 million to fund prevention and treatment.

As a theatrical producer, David was a founding producer for ‘Billy Elliot the Musical’ and worked closely on conceiving and developing the show from its initial workshop to award- winning productions in London, Sydney and New York. He is currently producing two new stage musicals ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and ‘Tammy Faye’.

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