Wednesday, 21 October 2020
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Understanding how annuities work is an important first step in determining whether they fit into your retirement plans. Annuities can be customized in many ways, although they fall into three broad categories: fixed, indexed and variable.
An annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company. In exchange for giving the company money today, you receive a lump-sum payment or series of payouts in the future. For example, you could purchase an annuity with a single payment when you retire and then receive monthly payouts for the rest of your life.
Annuities offer long-term, tax-deferred savings, making them a potentially helpful tool for retirement. But because there’s such a wide-range customization available, it can be confusing to understand all your options. Our guide covers the basics on fixed, indexed and variable annuities.
A fixed annuity is one of the simplest types of annuities — it’s somewhat similar to a certificate of deposit (CD) account. You fund a fixed annuity with a single payment or a series of payments. The insurance company guarantees this principal amount, a minimum interest rate and a number of payments in the future.
The interest rate applies to your principal balance, and your account grows tax-deferred during the accumulation phase. At the end of the accumulation phase, your payout period begins. You’ll then receive a single lump-sum payout or periodic payouts, such as monthly or annually.
“When you first buy a contract for a fixed annuity, the payout amount will be specified,” according to Ken Tumin, founder of LendingTree-owed company DepositAccounts.com, so you’ll know how much income to expect later. Also, depending on your contract, the periodic payouts could be guaranteed for a certain number of years, until you die or until you and a beneficiary (such as a spouse) die.
Fixed annuity pros
Fixed annuity cons
A fixed annuity may be the most attractive type of annuity if you’re looking for stability and guarantees. However, think carefully about when and why you’re buying the contract, as the interest rate you lock-in during the purchase will influence your payouts.
“If the interest rates start to bottom, it might not be the best time to get a fixed annuity,” said Tumin. “If you think rates are going up, wait for a few years until there’s a better interest rate environment.”
A variable annuity may feel more like a 401(k) or individual retirement account (IRA) than a certificate of deposit. When you buy a variable annuity, you can choose to invest your money in different financial products, such as mutual funds.
Your earnings during the accumulation phase depend on how well your investments do, which will impact your future payouts. The insurance company may offer optional riders that limit how low your account’s value can drop and guarantee you a minimum payout.
You may also be able to choose to receive the payout as a lump sum, over a fixed number of payouts or until you die. If you choose periodic payouts, the payout amount could either be pre-set or it may vary with your investment returns.
Variable annuity pros
Variable annuity cons
A variable annuity can offer tax-deferred investment growth and an additional source of income during retirement. “But a lot of the best variable annuities are basically a wrapper around investment options like mutual funds,” says Tumin. The wrapper analogy can apply to other tax-deferred accounts, such as 401(k)s and IRAs, although those may offer more investment options and fewer fees.
“For those who’ve maxed out their 401(k)s and IRAs, a variable annuity can be a reasonable option,” says Tumin. Until that point, you may want to focus on investing in other, lower-cost accounts instead.
Indexed annuities often offer a minimum interest rate on your money, but are also tied to an investment index, such as the S&P 500. Depending on how the index performs, you may receive more interest earnings than the minimum rate. However, there are also often caps on how much you earn.
For example, if the S&P increases by 8%, you might only receive 3% of the gains — your cap — and the insurance company keeps the remainder. On the other hand, if the S&P decreases in value in a year, you might still receive a minimum interest rate gain rather than losing money.
The specifics of your annuity can also impact your earnings because the contract will dictate the cap, how much of the index’s gains your receive, the fees you’ll pay and how often the insurer reviews the index to calculate gains.
Indexed annuity pros
Indexed annuity cons
Index annuities can seem like the best of both worlds — protection against investment losses with the potential to earn more than you would with a fixed annuity. But it’s not all good news, as the fees and caps can eat into your potential investment returns, particularly during high-growth periods.
“For those that are very conservative, the indexed annuity could give you a better return than a fixed annuity,” says Tumin. However, as with variable annuities, he suggested looking into other tax-deferred investment accounts, such as 401(ks) and IRAs, before an indexed annuity.
There are different types of annuities, payout structures and a wide range of riders that can make comparison shopping extremely difficult. Add on the fees, brokers’ commission-based sales arrangement and the possibility of losing your “guaranteed” income stream if the insurance company goes under and annuities look much less appealing.
Still, that’s not to say annuities are all bad. An annuity can offer a steady income stream during retirement, with an option to continue the income stream as long as you’re alive (or even beyond).
However, if you’re considering purchasing one, continue doing your due diligence and learning about the differences between annuity providers and contracts.
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