What's an Annuity? A Retirement Financial Tool
What's an annuity?
Quite simply, an annuity is a financial tool.
And like most tools it helps you build something.
In this case, retirement income.
In a way, annuities are like power tools.
You have to charge them up first and you power up an annuity by paying premiums.
Later, the insurance company pays you back, with interest, tax advantaged in a single sum or regular intervals, guaranteed.
Best of all, no matter how much you pay in the annuity can pay out for as long as you live.
So you may never run out of income in retirement.
No matter what happens in the market or economy.
No other financial tool can do that.
Plus in some instances, you can even set them up to pay a beneficiary.
Does an annuity have costs?
Sure but so do other financial tools and they can vary.
The good news is those costs help build the value other tools can't match such as the guarantees and the lifetime payouts.
Of course an annuity may be used a long time, so it's key to consider one from a company that measures up with a long history of high industry ratings, such as Standard & Poor's, Moody's, A.M. Best, and Fitch. And a strong Comdex score, which is a composite of a company's ratings.
Note that the agencies that rate us are registered as nationally recognized statistical rating organizations with the SEC. And we go to great lengths to maintain these standards.
Look, an annuity may not be the only thing in your financial toolbox to help you save for the future, but it's a handy way to help build your savings now and protect you against the risk of outliving them later, which can put a real wrench in your retirement.
Of course this is just a high level look at annuities.
A visit with your financial adviser can help nail down the details tell them you saw it here first.