As retirement approaches, or begins in earnest, the focus for many investors begins to shift. The goal is no longer about keeping pace with the stock market. It becomes more about preserving principal, generating income, and finding financial vehicles that feel grounded in something real. After all, the stakes feel different when you’re drawing from your nest egg rather than building it.

Traditional income sources like CDs and government bonds often don’t offer the kind of yield that retirees are looking for. Meanwhile, the equity markets can feel unpredictable and reactive, especially in an environment shaped by interest rate shifts and global uncertainty.

That’s why more investors are exploring alternative investments as a potential solution. Specifically, fixed-rate corporate bonds offer clearly defined terms, regular income potential, and direct ties to companies operating in cash-flowing sectors of the economy.

One example of this approach comes from Phoenix Energy, a growing energy company based in Irvine and primarily operating in the heart of the Williston Basin. Their model is built around domestic oil production, not speculation or public equity. Instead of offering shares, the company raises capital through fixed-interest corporate bonds. Historically, these bonds were only available to accredited investors.

What You’ll Learn from a Webinar

The team at Phoenix regularly hosts webinars to walk prospective investors through the business model and bond structure. If you’re unfamiliar with how a private energy company operates or how investor capital is used, these webinars can be helpful.

Matt Willer, the Phoenix Energy’s Managing Director of Capital Markets, leads most of these sessions. He doesn’t sugarcoat things or lean on jargon. Instead, he lays out how the company develops its assets, how it manages costs, and where it’s headed next.

For those who are more cautious by nature, especially in retirement, that kind of transparency matters.

How Phoenix Makes Money (and Uses Capital)

Phoenix Energy runs an upstream oil business with three ways of generating cash flow:

  • Royalty Interests: The company owns mineral rights and gets a cut when operators like Chevron or Exxon extract oil from the land.
  • Non-Operated Working Interests: In some cases, Phoenix helps fund a well but doesn’t run the day-to-day operations. That work is handled by larger firms.
  • Operated Wells: This is where Phoenix is hands-on, using its own rigs and crews to drill, complete, and produce from wells they fully control.

What sets Phoenix apart is how quickly they move. Their drilling team recently set a record by completing a 3-mile well in just 6.5 days, a speed that can save around $300,000 per day in costs. That kind of efficiency isn’t just about bragging rights — it directly impacts how investor capital is put to work.

In one of their most successful projects, the Young Pad in North Dakota generated $62 million in its first year against a development cost of $48 million. That level of performance, while not promised on every project, helps illustrate what the company aims to repeat.

Why Retirees Are Paying Attention

For investors planning retirement, or already there, Phoenix’s bond offerings may be appealing for a few reasons.

First, the company is privately held. That means there’s no Wall Street boardroom to answer to and no pressure to hit short-term stock targets. As Matt Willer explained during a recent webinar, Phoenix Energy answers to itself and to the people who have invested in it.

Second, the company’s leadership has skin in the game. Capital is deployed with intention, and drilling decisions are made based on what can create value over time, not just what looks good on paper. As Phoenix Energy CEO Adam Ferrari puts it, “When Phoenix sets out to do something, we want to be the best at what we do. Being average was never acceptable.”

Third, Phoenix has put tools in place to help manage risk. Through a hedge agreement with BP, the company has locked in pricing on millions of barrels of future oil sales over a three-year period. So even if oil prices fall significantly, the business continues to operate with predictability. That hedging strategy won’t eliminate risk, but it does help reduce exposure to volatile market swings.

The Investment Side of the Business

An interesting aspect of Phoenix Energy is how a broader range of people can participate in their business, not just institutional or ultra-high-net-worth investors. For many years, their corporate bonds were offered exclusively through a Regulation D 506(c) private placement, which is still available today and offers between a 9% and 13% annual interest rate, depending on the term you choose.*

But recently, Phoenix introduced a new option: a Registered Offering available to investors in eligible states who meet certain regulatory financial suitability standards. This opens the door for more individuals to consider putting their money to work with a company that’s operating in one of the most vital sectors of the American economy.

To be clear, when you invest with Phoenix Energy, you’re buying corporate bonds issued by the company. You’re not investing directly in oil wells or gas fields. It’s an important distinction, especially if you’re used to hearing about oil and gas investments. Like any investment, there’s always some level of risk, and there are no guarantees on returns. That said, Phoenix Energy has welcomed more than 5,500 investors so far, and to date, they’ve met their interest payment obligations as agreed.* That kind of track record speaks volumes, but as always, it’s wise to do your homework and make sure it’s the right fit for your situation.

Before investing, all participants must review the prospectus and related offering documentation.

*Investors have historically received high annual interest rates. 
*Historically, investors have received regular monthly payments. Past performance is not indicative of future results

Final Thoughts for Retirement Investors

If you’re exploring ways to diversify your retirement portfolio and you’re comfortable with private credit structures, Phoenix Energy might be worth a closer look.

This isn’t an investment in oil prices or commodity speculation. It’s an investment in a company that operates in the oil and gas sector, one that’s producing real barrels from real wells and using investor capital to grow a business that generates cash flow.

Phoenix Energy won’t be the right fit for everyone. But for retirees and near-retirees looking for alternatives to traditional stock-and-bond markets, the company’s story is a compelling one, and the best way to learn more is through one of their webinars.

Disclosure: Phoenix Capital Group Holdings, LLC is now Phoenix Energy One, LLC, doing business as Phoenix Energy. Alternative investments are speculative, illiquid, and you may lose some or all of your investment. Securities are offered by Dalmore Group member FINRA/SIPC. Dalmore Group and Phoenix Energy are not affiliated. See full disclosures.

This article contains forward-looking statements based on our current expectations, assumptions, and beliefs about future events and market conditions. These statements, identifiable by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “intend,” “may,” “expect,” “plan,” “should,” and similar expressions, involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Factors that may impact these outcomes include changes in market conditions, regulatory developments, operational performance, and other risks described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and Phoenix Energy undertakes no obligation to update them except as required by law.