Annuities

An annuity is a contract between you (the purchaser or owner) and an insurance company. In its simplest form, you pay money to an annuity issuer, and the issuer then pays the principal and earnings back to you or to a named beneficiary. Annuities are generally used to provide income in retirement.

The biggest advantage of an annuity is that your money grows tax deferred until you withdraw it. The tradeoff is that if you take your money out before age 59½, you'll usually have to pay a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty to the IRS.

Most life insurance companies sell annuities. You pay the insurance company a sum of money, either all at once or incrementally. The type of annuity you own determines whether your money earns a fixed amount or an amount that depends on the equities in which the annuity is invested. At a designated time chosen by you, known as the maturity date, the insurance company generally begins to send you regular distributions from the annuity's account. Or, you may be able to withdraw the money over time or in one lump sum.

There are many different kinds of annuities. Four of the most common are the following:

* Single premium immediate annuity: You pay the insurance company a lump sum now and begin to receive withdrawal distributions in approximately one month and for a period of time you specify. The amount you receive will vary according to the length of time the payments are to last and whether anyone will receive the remaining balance at your death. Your money grows at a fixed interest rate, set each year by the insurance company.
* Single premium deferred annuity: You pay the insurance company a lump sum now and defer receiving withdrawals until later. The amount of those distributions will depend on the value of your account at the time your payments begin, the length of time the payments are to last, and whether anyone will receive the remaining balance at your death. Your money grows at a fixed interest rate, set each year by the insurance company.
* Annual premium deferred annuity: You send money to the insurance company usually monthly, quarterly, or annually. Your money earns a fixed interest rate, set each year by the insurance company, and you defer your withdrawals to a later date.
* Variable annuity: This type of contract is a vehicle for equity investments. You can do a one-time deposit or contribute throughout the life of the contract. You have choices as to how your money is invested in an offering of mutual funds, and you may invest conservatively or aggressively. The growth of your account value will vary, depending on your choice of investments.

Annuities and Retirement Planning

You may have heard that IRAs and employer-sponsored plans (e.g., 401(k)s) are the best ways to invest for retirement. That's true for many people, but what if you've maxed out your contributions to those accounts and want to save more? An annuity may be a good investment to look into.
Get the lay of the land

An annuity is a tax-deferred investment contract. The details on how it works vary, but here's the general idea. You invest your money (either a lump sum or a series of contributions) with a life insurance company that sells annuities (the annuity issuer). The period when you are funding the annuity is known as the accumulation phase. In exchange for your investment, the annuity issuer promises to make payments to you or a named beneficiary at some point in the future. The period when you are receiving payments from the annuity is known as the distribution phase. Chances are, you'll start receiving payments after you retire.
Understand your payout options

Understanding your annuity payout options is very important. Keep in mind that payments are based on the claims-paying ability of the issuer. You want to be sure that the payments you receive will meet your income needs during retirement. Here are some of the most common payout options:

* You surrender the annuity and receive a lump-sum payment of all of the money you have accumulated.
* You receive payments from the annuity over a specific number of years, typically between 5 and 20. If you die before this "period certain" is up, your beneficiary will receive the remaining payments.
* You receive payments from the annuity for your entire lifetime. You can't outlive the payments (no matter how long you live), but there will typically be no survivor payments after you die.
* You combine a lifetime annuity with a period certain annuity. This means that you receive payments for the longer of your lifetime or the time period chosen. Again, if you die before the period certain is up, your beneficiary will receive the remaining payments.
* You elect a joint and survivor annuity so that payments last for the combined life of you and another person, usually your spouse. When one of you dies, the survivor receives payments for the rest of his or her life.

When you surrender the annuity for a lump sum, your tax bill on the investment earnings will be due all in one year. The other options on this list provide you with a guaranteed stream of income. They're known as annuitization options because you've elected to spread payments over a period of years. Part of each payment is a return of your principal investment. The other part is taxable investment earnings. You typically receive payments at regular intervals throughout the year (usually monthly, but sometimes quarterly or yearly). The amount of each payment depends on the amount of your principal investment, the particular type of annuity, the length of the payout period, and other factors.
Consider the pros and cons

An annuity can often be a great addition to your retirement portfolio. Here are some reasons to consider investing in an annuity:

* Your investment earnings are tax deferred as long as they remain in the annuity. You don't pay income tax on those earnings until they are paid out to you.
* An annuity is free from the claims of your creditors in most states.
* If you die with an annuity, the accumulated value will pass to your beneficiary without having to go through probate.
* Your annuity can be a reliable source of retirement income, and you have some freedom to decide how you'll receive that income.
* You don't have to meet income tests or other criteria to invest in an annuity.
* You're not subject to an annual contribution limit, unlike IRAs and employer-sponsored plans. You can contribute as much or as little as you like in any given year.
* You're not required to start taking distributions from an annuity at age 70½ (the required minimum distribution age for IRAs and employer-sponsored plans). You can typically postpone payments until you need the income.

But annuities aren't for everyone. Here are some potential drawbacks:

* Contributions to nonqualified annuities are made with after-tax dollars and are not tax deductible.
* Once you've elected to annuitize payments, you usually can't change them, but there are some exceptions.
* You can take your money from an annuity before you start receiving payments, but your annuity issuer may impose a surrender charge if you withdraw your money within a certain number of years (e.g., seven) after your original investment.
* You may have to pay other costs when you invest in an annuity (e.g., annual fees, investment management fees, insurance expenses).
* You may be subject to a 10 percent federal penalty tax (in addition to any regular income tax) if you withdraw your money from an annuity before age 59½, unless you meet one of the exceptions to this rule.
* Investment gains are taxed at ordinary income tax rates, not at the lower capital gains rate.

Choose the right type of annuity

If you think that an annuity is right for you, your next step is to decide which type of annuity. Overwhelmed by all of the annuity products on the market today? Don't be. In fact, most annuities fit into a small handful of categories. Your choices basically revolve around two key questions.

First, how soon would you like annuity payments to begin? That probably depends on how close you are to retiring. If you're near retirement or already retired, an immediate annuity may be your best bet. This type of annuity starts making payments to you shortly after you buy the annuity, typically within a year or less. But what if you're younger, and retirement is still a long-term goal? Then you're probably better off with a deferred annuity. As the name suggests, this type of annuity lets you postpone payments until a later time, even if that's many years down the road.

Second, how would you like your money invested? With a fixed annuity, the annuity issuer determines an interest rate to credit to your investment account. An immediate fixed annuity guarantees a particular rate, and your payment amount never varies. A deferred fixed annuity guarantees your rate for a certain number of years; your rate then fluctuates from year to year as market interest rates change. A variable annuity, whether immediate or deferred, gives you more control and the chance to earn a better rate of return (although with a greater potential for gain comes a greater potential for loss). You select your own investments from the subaccounts (which invest directly in mutual funds) that the annuity issuer offers. Your payment amount will vary based on how your investments perform.

Suitability Statement - Documentation that satisfies the NASD rule that requires registered representatives to consider the customer’s financial status, tax status, investment objectives, and other appropriate information when making recommendations to the customer.

To buy Life Insurance, one need an Insurable Interest: Required to issue a life insurance policy: where a person would likely suffer a financial loss from the insured person’s death or can expect to benefit financially from the continued life of the insured person.

• Human Life Value Approach - A method of calculating how much life insurance is needed; attempts to place a monetary value upon an individual’s earning power and use life insurance coverage to replace this loss to the individual’s survivors.

• Multiple Of Income Approach - A method of calculating how much life insurance is needed; uses a multiple of between five and eight times an individual’s income.

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