Retirement 101: 3 Reasons to Beware of Annuities

by NerdWallet | January 13, 2014 4:03 pm

As pensions have become all but extinct[1], the allure of annuities has grown ever stronger. These tax-deferred investments sold by insurance companies allow you to grow your nest egg and then, when you’re ready to retire, trigger an income that you can’t outlive. Who wouldn’t like that: your own personal pension?

While annuities can be an important part of your retirement savings strategy, there are many things to consider, including what kind, when, and how much?

Fixed annuities

This is the grandpa of annuities. A fixed annuity takes your contribution and the insurance company invests it. You have no say in how the money is managed. Once you trigger the income stream, called annuitization, a fixed dollar amount is paid to you. All annuities allow you to determine the payout option when you sign up. It can be for a single life (perhaps yours), or for joint lives (such as for as long as you live, and then for as long as your spouse lives). There are many variations in the payout options, your insurance agent can explain them all – hopefully with some visual aids.

Variable annuities

Even more popular are variable annuities[2], which allow you to choose from a number of investment options, including mutual funds, bond funds and money market accounts. Some VAs have a guaranteed minimum death benefit feature, which will set a “floor” for investment losses, or a minimum percentage growth rate.

Equity-indexed annuities

A newer spin on the variable annuity is the “equity-indexed annuity” which will track, to some degree, the performance of a stock index like the S&P 500, but also provide guaranteed minimum interest earnings.

It may sound like the ultimate investment deal, but these types of annuities are complicated, so much so that FINRA, the self-regulatory agency for the securities industry, issued an investor alert[3] on them a few years back. Now, that doesn’t mean they’re bad – just hard to understand.

When to consider an annuity

Because annuities offer you an investment that can grow without the impact of taxes until withdrawals are made, they can be a good alternative to consider when other tax-deferred investments are maxed-out.

Say you’re putting the legally allowed limit into your 401(k)[4] and you make a full contribution to your IRA[5] every year, too. You also have a regular investment account[6] with tax-efficient holdings, perhaps in municipal bonds or low-turnover exchange-traded funds[7]. That’s the account you can tap when you really need to, prior to drawing on your tax-deferred investments. If you have all of that, but you’re still really flush and have more money to sock away, annuities might be a good choice.

The downside of annuities

And now the reality check.  As good as they sound, here are the drawbacks to annuities:

Annuities are long-term investments with a lot of moving parts. If you are considering one, consult with a trusted advisor and ask plenty of questions.

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The Best Brokers for Options Trading Online[13]

How to Choose Between Brokerage Firms[14]

Endnotes:

  1. all but extinct: http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/2013/state-pensions-defined-contribution-plans/
  2. variable annuities: http://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/varannty.htm
  3. investor alert: http://www.finra.org/investors/protectyourself/investoralerts/annuitiesandinsurance/p010614
  4. 401(k): http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/2013/401k-contribution-limits-2014/
  5. your IRA: http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/2013/roth-ira-contribution-limits-2014/
  6. investment account: http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/2013/brokerage-account/
  7. exchange-traded funds: http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/2012/basics-trade-etfs-commission-free/
  8. built into the investments: http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/2013/understanding-mutual-fund-fees/
  9. brokers: http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/2013/stock-broker/
  10. Securities and Exchange Commission: http://www.sec.gov/News/Speech/Detail/Speech/1365171606081#.Uqjrc_RDtv8
  11. withdraw benefits: http://www.forbes.com/sites/feeonlyplanner/2012/08/09/variable-annuities-look-to-bail-on-guarantees/
  12. The Best Online Brokers for Free Stock Trading: http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/2013/free-stock-trading/
  13. The Best Brokers for Options Trading Online: http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/best-online-brokers/best-brokers-online-options-trading-accounts/
  14. How to Choose Between Brokerage Firms: http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/2013/brokerage-firms/

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