Annuity

For people in their fifties, it’s never too early to think about a retirement financial plan. Even if you are starting a bit late in the game, now is an excellent time to catch up on planning.

However, so many investment, fixed-income, and insurance products are on the market. Like other investors, you may find it challenging to create strategies that meet your needs for safety and income.

Of the many options, annuities may be on your radar, but you may have heard bad things about them too. How can you judge if they are right for your financial situation?

To get started, learn about some scenarios where annuities can help people achieve their retirement money goals. Here are some things to consider when you are thinking of buying an annuity. Read More

Retirement planning is an essential step in financial life. Part of the transition is to ensure that your money is safe and you have income available for the rest of your life. For risk-conscious and lifestyle-minded investors, one instrument to consider for a retirement portfolio is an annuity.

Apart from principal protection, low risk, and tax-deferred growth, annuities can generate a guaranteed lifetime income. This income benefit can help ensure that the contract owner has a constant, dependable cash-flow throughout retirement.

However, there are many aspects of an annuity that people should understand before making a purchase, such as fees and conditions. One of the important conditions set out by annuities are surrender charges.

Let’s take a closer look at what a surrender charge involves. Read More

Year after year, many Americans are finding it harder to provide for their spouses during retirement. Guaranteed pension payments have been disappearing as more companies move toward 401(k)s and other savings plans. And with the end of file-and-suspend in Social Security, numerous couples now can’t use the higher earner’s wage record for greater benefit payouts.

This brings up the question of survivorship: How can retirees ensure their spouses receive sufficient income for current and future needs? Many couples have turned to joint life annuities as a long-term solution.

However, that doesn’t mean that a joint life annuity is right for everyone. In some cases, having separate annuities can be more prudent. Or it may be appropriate to seek retirement income strategies with other means. But no matter what, whether someone should choose a joint life annuity or a few single life annuities will vary on an individual basis. It depends on the potential buyer’s needs, goals, and situation, among other factors.

If you are considering a joint or single annuity, here are some pointers to help you think about your options.  Read More

People who own annuities have something that not only can take care of their financial needs, but also provide money even after their death. In addition to benefits for owners, an annuity can be a valuable inheritance for beneficiaries, like spouses, or other persons. Certain benefits can become available to beneficiaries when a contract owner passes away. 

As the contract holder, you may setup your annuity in ways that will take care of your loved ones, even when you are not with them anymore. The amount of money available after your death will depend on the type of death benefit offered by the specific annuity you have. Let’s get into more details of what happens to an annuity when someone passes away. Read More

Are you considering different annuity options for your retirement portfolio? An annuity is a type of insurance product, purchased from a life insurance company and/or an annuity company. Annuities are popular retirement options due to the safety they offer for your money, the potential for tax-deferred growth, and their reliability for giving permanent, lifelong income.

That being said, sometimes it can be confusing when you try to make sense of different annuity types, contract features, benefits, and downsides. Since you would commit a sum of your money to an annuity contract for a period of time, it’s prudent to do research and develop an understanding of your annuity options before committing to any financial decision. Here is a short guide to help you get started on understanding the different annuity options. Read More

Are your retirement nest eggs secure? Have you considered what happens to your hard-earned savings after you’re gone? One question often looms large for retirees and those planning for retirement: are annuity death benefits taxable?

The short answer is: it depends. Annuity death benefits are taxed as ordinary income, but the specific tax treatment depends on whether the annuity was qualified (funded with pre-tax dollars) or non-qualified (funded with after-tax dollars). For qualified annuities, the entire amount is taxable. For non-qualified annuities, only the earnings portion is taxable.

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As you plan for retirement, selecting the right annuity type — whether a qualified vs non-qualified annuity — can shape your financial security in significant ways. When you understand the implications of each type, you can optimize tax advantages and income benefits. 

In this article, we’ll talk about a qualified vs non-qualified annuity. This can help you make informed decisions that align with your retirement goals and financial objectives.

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Have you ever heard of a market value adjusted annuity? If you are planning for your retirement income, then you may be considering an annuity as one of your options. Of course, there is a number of possibilities when it comes to purchasing annuities. So, it is important to understand clearly what annuities are so you can make sound financial decisions.

In cases when you are looking for tax deferral and an instrument which can offer safe growth and reliable future income, a fixed annuity can be the perfect option. These typically entail an average contract of seven to twelve years and guarantee a minimum annual interest rate. While the duration of the contract and interest rates are important to consider, you should also take into account whether the annuity is subject to a Market Value Adjustment (MVA). It’s common for an MVA to be attached to fixed annuities, and as you probably noticed, it’s these contracts with an MVA that are called “market value adjusted annuities.”

Before making a decision, it’s important to know what a market value adjusted annuity is. So, let’s get into it. Read More

Do annuities make sense for your retirement portfolio? Well, when used right they can be a very powerful financial vehicle, especially for retirement. Annuities allow an investor to pay a lump sum of money upfront and then receive an income stream in return for a set period of time. The insurance company is bound to provide this income stream by contractual guarantees. The income stream can last anywhere from a set duration to a lifetime.

Here’s a quick look at some annuity basics and other helpful tips to consider. Read More

After years of hard work, all of us want a comfortable retirement. But it may be unclear as to what we need to achieve this. What steps are necessary for a worry-free financial life – the ability to spend with confidence?

Part of it means a transition in thinking. In real-world terms, it encompasses a shift in focus from asset values to monthly income. We want to be sure we have sufficient cash-flow for funding a retirement lifestyle. On the other hand, we should also be attentive to the matter of preserving wealth. With all those savings accumulated over many years, our money will now need to last for the rest of our lifetime.

However, this doesn’t mean that savings growth has to be put on the back-burner. For Americans looking for “safe money financial” vehicles, annuities may be attractive. In particular, fixed-type annuities can offer guaranteed lifelong income, tax-deferred accumulation, and growth via guaranteed interest rates or rising index values.

If you are investigating fixed annuities or fixed index annuities for personal growth or income goals, here’s a quick look at a few variables to consider. Read More