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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Do Annuities Help Plan for a Retirement Income

By Mari Cates

Are Annuities Good For Providing Retirement Income?

These are sold by insurance companies, but contain features of both insurance and savings. They are generally used to save money for a longer term goal or to provide income. Many people use them for retirement, but others find that they are effective ways to build a college education fund or save for a home.

There are two main types of way to build up the cash value, so something can start generating income for retirement.

An immediate annuity is funded by one large sum at the start. Consider a retiree with a lump sum payout or a person who has inherited cash from a family member. This product, as the name implies, begins to make income for the owner right away.

A deferred annuity, on the other hand, must be kept intact for a period of time that is agreed to when it is applied for. If money is withdrawn before this, except for specified reasons, the owner must pay a penalty. So these are meant to reach longer term goals, and for people who do not need the money right away. They could be funded with a lump sum or with a series of payments made over a period of years.

How do annuity payouts work? By now you probably realize that you are investing your cash in order to be able to withdraw cash back. Some annuities may be guaranteed to pay for life, while some may only pay for 10 years. The option that you choose will depend upon your own assets, needs, and individual circumstances.

You can also find annuities with flexible options, so that the owner does not need to take payments. Some people use this to set aside an emergency fund or leave money for their heirs.

One of the biggest advantages annuities give you is the way the IRS treats them. They grown and compound as tax deferred investments. The way that payouts will be taxed depends upon the qualified or non-qualified tax status a particular product has.

Another advantage is the safety of fixed products. Fixed products may pay at a contract rate, or they may be pegged to a market index.

Consider one common market like the S&P 500. In good years, when the index goes up, the cash account will grow at a rate that is pegged to that market index. In down years, when the index is down, the cash account will be guaranteed not to lose money. It may either be set to remain stable, or even to earn a set rate like 2%.

Now that you understand a little bit about annuities, you probably want to know how long you can get payments for. You probably also want to know how large those payments will be. Of course this depends upon your accumulated cash value, growth rate, and the type of product you have. - 23311

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