Annuities

Which Annuity is Right for You?

It's a crazy world out there, with a lot of conflicting financial information. To make the best decision, it's important to get educated about the different types of annuities and how they work.

Fixed Annuities

If you’re like many people, you worry

about whether you’ll have enough

money to last your retirement. Fixed annuities create a guaranteed stream of income you can’t outlive. You can establish income for your lifetime.

The key to financial security in retirement is having enough money to cover your expenses — and having confidence it will last your lifetime. When you add a fixed income annuity to your retirement strategy, you can gain confidence and security.

Lifelong Income

Only an annuity can guarantee a lifetime of income you can’t outlive. Did you know you can also cover your spouse and have income for their lifetime too? What would you do with guaranteed lifetime income?

Predictability

Fixed annuities give the same amount of income on each payout, like a self-created pension. This predictability allow you to have peace of mind

knowing when and how much income to expect and can help increase your budget for expenses.

No market risk

Retirement funds usually are associated with the stock market in some capacity. Fixed annuities have no link to the stock or housing market, so you don’t have to worry about income distributions (realizing losses) in down market years.

Income taxes

If you are funding your annuity with pretax money from a 401(k), IRA or tax-sheltered money (qualified money), all of your payouts are taxed. If you are funding your income annuity with your after-tax money from a bank account or non-tax sheltered money (non-qualified money), you owe ordinary income taxes only on the earnings in each payout.

Once you have received your entire initial premium back in payouts, all additional income payouts become taxable at your ordinary income tax rate.

Indexed Annuities

Throughout your working life, you've focused on saving money for retirement. Now, you're also thinking about how to spend it. In an Indexed Annuity, when the market is expanding, you can accumulate money tax-deferred. If there's a downturn, you're protected from market loss. When

you’re ready to take income, an Income Rider gives you the ability to create a guaranteed “paycheck” to carry you through your retirement years.

Guaranteed Income

An optional Income Rider is available that allows you to create a guaranteed stream of income that can last as long as your retirement. The amount you receive can increase the longer you wait to start income payments.

Growth Potential

Pursue additional growth with Interest Credits that are based in part on the performance of an external market index.

Protection from downside market risk

Your money is not directly exposed to the risks of the stock market or individual stocks.

Tax deferral

Annuities provide the advantage of tax-deferred interest accumulation. You don’t pay taxes on any growth until you withdraw money.

Immediate Annuities

Single Premium Immediate Annuities (SPIA) create guaranteed income for you immediately. This stream of income you

can’t outlive. You can establish immediate income guaranteed for your lifetime.

A Single Premium Immediate Annuity (SPIA) allows you to put a lump sum of money into a contract and immediately give yourself an income you can’t outlive, guaranteed.

You can choose monthly, quarterly or annual income that allows you to have control over how often you receive the SPIA payout.

Guaranteed income

In exchange for a single purchase payment, you receive a stream of guaranteed income that begins immediately (up to 12 months

after the date your contract is issued). You can receive guaranteed income for life, for a specific length of time, or a combination of both, depending on the annuity option you choose.

Predictability

A SPIA provides a reliable source of income that is not affected by fluctuations in the stock

market. At the time you purchase a contract, you know how much income you will receive.

Tax efficiency

If you’ve already paid taxes on the money used to purchase your annuity contract, a portion of each annuity payment will be tax-free, until the total amount of income you’ve

received equals the amount of your single purchase payment.

Flexibility

A SPIA offers you a certain amount of flexibility, including the ability to add an inflation protection rider that can automatically

increase income payments by your choice of one, two, three, or four percent annually.

You can also adjust for a period certain which means you can decrease or increase the

period of time you will receive income

payments. And you can select an annuity option that includes beneficiary protection for a spouse or loved one that can protect your

designated beneficiary in the event of your death.

5 ways a fixed annuity can work for you:

1) Self-Created Pension — A pension is a type

of retirement plan offered by companies that

provides retired employees a lifetime income on

an on-going basis. Today, many companies are not

offering pensions and only annuities can guarantee

lifetime income.

2) Supplement to Social Security — Living on

Social Security alone is difficult. Using your

fixed annuity, you can choose to receive income

payouts annually, quarterly, or monthly to help

supplement your Social Security check. This can

provide a stronger reliable income.

3) Inflation protection — Worried about future

inflation when purchasing an annuity? If

you have the income payment increase rider,

your payouts increase every year based upon the

percentage you select when you apply for your fixed annuity.

4) Increased income over other investments —

A fixed annuity may allow for a higher

withdrawal rate than you can take from an

investment portfolio if longevity runs in your

family. SPIA and FDIA payouts are guaranteed and

calculated based on the amount contributed and the average mortality rate (the percentage of people who die each year and at what age). The annual payout of a SPIA and FDIA is usually between 5 and 7 percent of your premium. Can you take out 5 to 7 percent out of your investment portfolio each year and know it

will last your lifetime?

5) Buffer to investment portfolio —

Acknowledging that traditional investments

like stocks, bonds and mutual funds have good

years and bad years due to the market’s fluctuation, a fixed annuity can be used to complement your other investments. By placing some money into the fixed annuity, in a down market year you can minimize some market losses if you know you will get guaranteed income from a fixed annuity

Annuities provide assurance against the risk that you’ll outlive your money after you retire. They give you the potential to grow your savings and create a guaranteed income stream to last a lifetime.

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