Annuities

What is an Annuity and are Annuities right for me?

What is an Annuity?

An annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company that requires the insurer to make payments to you, either immediately or in the future. You buy an annuity by making either a single payment or a series of payments. Similarly, your payout may come either as one lump-sum payment or as a series of payments over time.

Annuities typically offer tax-deferred growth of earnings and may include a death benefit that will pay your beneficiary a specified minimum amount, such as your total purchase payments. While tax is deferred on earnings growth, when withdrawals are taken from the annuity, gains are taxed at ordinary income rates, and not capital gains rates. If you withdraw your money early from an annuity, you may pay substantial surrender charges to the insurance company, as well as tax penalties.

Why do people buy Annuities?

People typically buy annuities to help manage their income in retirement. Annuities provide three things:

  • Periodic payments for a specific amount of time. This may be for the rest of your life, or the life of your spouse or another person.
  • Death benefits. Annuities will still pay if you die before you start receiving payments, the person you name as your beneficiary receives a specific payment.
  • Tax-deferred growth. You pay no taxes on the income and investment gains from annuities until you withdraw the money.
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