Annuity Income
Annuities can offer a guaranteed income for a specified period. This period can last as long as you choose and can even last for the rest of your life.
Annuities can be a second Social Security check that can pay you for the rest of your life and can even be passed on to a spouse or loved one.
Depending on the type of annuity purchased and the annuity structure you choose, you can ensure a guaranteed income payment for the period you choose. This income payment period can last for a specified amount of time or can be structured to last for the rest of your lifetime.
Depending on the annuity structure, this income can potentially be passed on to a spouse or loved one as well. In addition, most annuity structures allow for any remaining funds after death to be passed on to a beneficiary. This ensures that there is never a loss in principal for the annuity consumer.
Annuity Growth Without Risk
Fixed Indexed Annuities are a tool that helps grow your money without market risk. This is because your funds are not invested directly in the stock market, but instead are connected to an index that bases growth according to the growth of that index.
You can choose which index fund or funds you want to use within your annuity strategy. The index reflects growth based on the stock market stocks that the index is connected to, and will grow according to how the funds in the index grow according to market gains.
This is done as more of a reflection of stock market performance and does not have the same loss potential because the funds are not invested directly inside the stock market itself. Instead, the index strategy mirrors gains tied to the market’s performance.
This means that you will not lose your principal or interest accumulation due to market downturns. If your money has grown, it will not go below the amount it has grown to, according to the annuity terms. This accumulation happens according to the investment strategy chosen and the success of the index fund or funds you choose.
Annuity Safety and Security
Annuity insurance companies are required to be part of the State Guarantee Association. This state-sanctioned nonprofit organization is a fund created in each state, and insurance companies offering financial products in that state are required to join.
The insurance organizations required to join the association include companies that offer products such as annuity policies, life insurance policies, long term care policies, and disability income policies.
This association is funded by all the insurance companies offering these types of products within the state. It is put in place to create a fund in case an insurance company becomes insolvent.
This is rare in general, as what would typically happen if an insurance company was having financial trouble is that a different insurance company would purchase the insolvent company’s contracts. The State Guarantee Association is a backup that works similarly to FDIC insurance, but on a state level, to help ensure the contract holder does not lose their insurance product if an insurance company becomes insolvent.
Annuities and Taxes
Annuities grow in a tax-deferred status. This means that you will only have to pay taxes when you withdraw your funds from the annuity.
This structure helps with investment growth, as you are able to grow your principal and interest without reducing growth based on taxes that you might owe.
This differs from other investments such as bank CDs or other non-tax-deferred accounts, since you do not have to take accumulated interest out from your interest payments to pay the taxes that would be owed in those other types of accounts.
This can help with faster growth of the annuity investment account and ensures you can take full advantage of compounding interest.
Annuities and Compounding Interest
Annuities grow according to your principal, but will also grow based on your interest accumulation. This is referred to as compound interest.
Albert Einstein described compound interest as the “eighth wonder of the world.” What does this mean for your investment? It means that if you put in your investment principal and it accumulates interest, the next year your principal will be as much as your total principal and accumulated interest.
These accumulations can take place year after year. While invested in an annuity, they take place at a tax-deferred status, which means there is no limit to the potential growth of your investment based on annual taxation.
Annuity Bullet Points
Investing in an annuity has many benefits that can include:
- Unlimited growth potential
- Safety and security knowing there is no loss potential
- Annuity investments backed by the State Guarantee Fund, which has a similar correlation to FDIC insurance
- No loss in principal and accumulated growth
- Guaranteed growth when structured correctly
- Guaranteed income for the specified term, which can potentially last a lifetime
- Tax-deferred growth
- Compounding interest to the max
For more information about investing in an annuity, please contact us today. We want our customers to have all the knowledge and resources they need to make informed financial decisions.