Fixed annuities pay a “fixed” rate of return. When you receive payments, the monthly payout is a set amount and is guaranteed. Fixed annuities may be a good choice for:
With variable annuities, you can invest in a variety of securities including stock and bond funds. Stock market performance determines the annuity's value and the return you will get from the money you invest. The amount of risk you are willing to assume should influence the kind of funds you select.
You may want to consider a variable annuity if you are:
This type of annuity is good for long-term retirement planning for the following reasons:
This allows you to convert a lump sum of money into an annuity so that you can immediately receive income. Payments generally start about a month after you purchase the annuity. This type of annuity offers financial security in the form of income payments for the rest of your life. In other words, you cannot outlive it.
Immediate annuities allow you to:
Like deferred annuities, immediate annuities can be fixed or variable. Fixed immediate annuity income payments are pegged to the amount you contribute, your age and the interest rate at the time of purchase. Those payments to you will not go up or down. Variable immediate annuity payments vary with the investments you chose.
In a fixed annuity, the insurance company guarantees the principal and a minimum rate of interest. In other words, as long as the insurance company is financially sound, the money you have in a fixed annuity will grow and will not drop in value. The growth of the annuity’s value and/or the benefits paid may be fixed at a dollar amount or by an interest rate, or they may grow by a specified formula. The growth of the annuity’s value and/or the benefits paid does not depend directly or entirely on the performance of the investments the insurance company makes to support the annuity. Some fixed annuities credit a higher interest rate than the minimum, via a policy dividend that may be declared by the company’s board of directors, if the company’s actual investment, expense and mortality experience is more favorable than was expected. Fixed annuities are regulated by state insurance departments.
Money in a variable annuity is invested in a fund—like a mutual fund but one open only to investors in the insurance company’s variable life insurance and variable annuities. The fund has a particular investment objective, and the value of your money in a variable annuity—and the amount of money to be paid out to you—is determined by the investment performance (net of expenses) of that fund. Most variable annuities are structured to offer investors many different fund alternatives. Variable annuities are regulated by state insurance departments and the federal Securities and Exchange Commission.
An equity-indexed annuity is a type of fixed annuity, but looks like a hybrid. It credits a minimum rate of interest, just as a fixed annuity does, but its value is also based on the performance of a specified stock index—usually computed as a fraction of that index’s total return.
A market-value-adjusted annuity is one that combines two desirable features—the ability to select and fix the time period and interest rate over which your annuity will grow, and the flexibility to withdraw money from the annuity before the end of the time period selected. This withdrawal flexibility is achieved by adjusting the annuity’s value, up or down, to reflect the change in the interest rate “market” (that is, the general level of interest rates) from the start of the selected time period to the time of withdrawal.
All of the following types of annuities are available in fixed or variable forms.
A deferred annuity receives premiums and investment changes for payout at a later time. The payout might be a very long time; deferred annuities for retirement can remain in the deferred stage for decades.
An immediate annuity is designed to pay an income one time-period after the immediate annuity is bought. The time period depends on how often the income is to be paid. For example, if the income is monthly, the first payment comes one month after the immediate annuity is bought.
A fixed period annuity pays an income for a specified period of time, such as ten years. The amount that is paid doesn’t depend on the age (or continued life) of the person who buys the annuity; the payments depend instead on the amount paid into the annuity, the length of the payout period, and (if it’s a fixed annuity) an interest rate that the insurance company believes it can support for the length of the pay-out period.
A lifetime annuity provides income for the remaining life of a person (called the “annuitant”). A variation of lifetime annuities continues income until the second one of two annuitants dies. No other type of financial product can promise to do this. The amount that is paid depends on the age of the annuitant (or ages, if it’s a two-life annuity), the amount paid into the annuity, and (if it’s a fixed annuity) an interest rate that the insurance company believes it can support for the length of the expected pay-out period.
With a “pure” lifetime annuity, the payments stop when the annuitant dies, even if that’s a very short time after they began. Many annuity buyers are uncomfortable at this possibility, so they add a guaranteed period—essentially a fixed period annuity—to their lifetime annuity. With this combination, if you die before the fixed period ends, the income continues to your beneficiaries until the end of that period.
A qualified annuity is one used to invest and disburse money in a tax-favored retirement plan, such as an IRA or Keogh plan or plans governed by Internal Revenue Code sections, 401(k), 403(b), or 457. Under the terms of the plan, money paid into the annuity (called “premiums” or “contributions”) is not included in taxable income for the year in which it is paid in. All other tax provisions that apply to nonqualified annuities also apply to qualified annuities.
A nonqualified annuity is one purchased separately from, or “outside of,” a tax-favored retirement plan. Investment earnings of all annuities, qualified and non-qualified, are tax-deferred until they are withdrawn; at that point they are treated as taxable income (regardless of whether they came from selling capital at a gain or from dividends).
A single premium annuity is an annuity funded by a single payment. The payment might be invested for growth for a long period of time—a single premium deferred annuity—or invested for a short time, after which payout begins—a single premium immediate annuity. Single premium annuities are often funded by rollovers or from the sale of an appreciated asset.
A flexible premium annuity is an annuity that is intended to be funded by a series of payments. Flexible premium annuities are only deferred annuities; that is, they are designed to have a significant period of payments into the annuity plus investment growth before any money is withdrawn from them.
If you take money out of an annuity, there may be a penalty called a surrender fee or a withdrawal charge. This fee is higher if you withdraw funds within the first years of an annuity contract. The penalty, however, drops gradually each year. Since immediate annuities are purchased to provide income, they usually can’t be “surrendered” and will therefore not be subjected to a fee.
A typical surrender fee schedule could be:
The purpose of the fee is to allow the insurer enough time to recover its expenses, largely commissions, in setting up the annuity contract. It also serves to discourage annuity buyers from using deferred annuities as short-term investments for quick cash.
Some contracts may permit you to pull out a portion of the funds annually, usually up to 10 percent without a surrender charge. If this option is important to you, ask your insurance agent or company representative about this before deciding to invest your money in a specific annuity. Also, ask if there may be any other fees or charges.
Selecting an insurance agent is an important decision. Like picking a doctor or a lawyer, you need to work with people who you are comfortable with and have considerable knowledge about their profession.
Ask your friends, relatives and business associates for names of insurance agents that have an excellent reputation. But, do not stop there. Find out what life insurance carriers they represent. If you are not interested in the companies they represent, you will need to find another agent.
Make sure that the agent:
The annuity business, like the insurance industry itself, is very competitive. There are hundreds of insurers and many different types of products available to you. Before buying an annuity, contact your state insurance department to see whether it offers an annuity buyers guide for your state.
There are four important things to consider:
Annuities can be purchased through insurance agents, financial planners, banks and life insurance carriers. However, only life insurance companies issue policies.
Here is a closer look:
Unlike a 401(k) or an IRA, there are no limits on the amount that you can invest in an annuity.
Whether you’re considering a deferred or immediate annuity, the amount of money you should consider putting into an annuity depends on:
Of these, the most important is your immediate actual and potential financial needs. If you’re buying a deferred annuity and you have a sudden need for cash, you can usually withdraw a small amount without penalty. However, you’ll likely pay a penalty if you make a large withdrawal within a few years after you’ve bought the annuity. If you’re buying an immediate annuity, you usually can’t get any more than the regular payments, no matter how badly you need cash. However, if you have other sources of cash that are sufficient for any emergency or unforeseen needs, then the immediate needs criterion is satisfied and the other criteria become more important.
Both annuities and life insurance should be considered in your long-term financial plan. While both include death benefits, you buy life insurance in the event you die too soon and an annuity in case you live too long. In other words, life insurance provides economic protection to your loved ones if you die before your financial obligations to them are met, while annuities guard against outliving your assets.
| Life Insurance | Annuities | |||
| Term life | Whole life | Deferred annuities | Immediate annuities | |
| Main reason for buying it | Provide income for dependents | Provide income for dependents or meet estate planning needs | To accumulate money in a tax-deferred product | To assure you don’t “outlive your income” |
| Pays out when | You die | You die, borrow the cash value or surrender the policy | You make withdrawals | One period after you buy the annuity, stops paying when you die* |
| Typical form of payment | Single sum | Single sum | Single sum or income | Lifetime income |
| Buyer’s age when it is typically bought | 25-50 | 30-60 | 40-65 | 55-80 |
| Accumulates money tax-deferred? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes, but only in the early payout years |
| Pays a death benefit? | Yes | Yes | Yes | *payments continue if the annuity has a guaranteed-period option that hasn’t expired at the annuitant’s death |
| Are benefits taxable income when received? | No | No, unless a cash value withdrawal exceeds the sum of premiums | Yes, but only the part derived from investment income | Yes, but only the part derived from investment income |
Annuities can serve many useful purposes.
If you are in a saving-money stage of life, a deferred annuity can:
If you are in a need-income stage of life, an immediate annuity can:
In its most general sense, an annuity is an agreement for one person or organization to pay another a stream or series of payments. Usually the term “annuity” relates to a contract between you and a life insurance company, but a charity or a trust can take the place of the insurance company.
There are many categories of annuities. They can be classified by:
An annuity can be classified in several of these categories at once. For example, you might buy a nonqualified single premium deferred variable annuity.
In general, annuities have the following attractive features:
