Annuities: The Three Types and How They Differ

By John C. Ryan

In an attempt to invest your money in an annuity, you will be perplexed to find numerous varieties of schemes in the context. The basic schemes relating annuities include fixed annuities, the variable annuities and indexed annuities. They also include many other kinds of annuities like the immediate annuities and the deferred annuities. The more you search the more kinds of schemes you are going to come across from various companies in this respect.

Every annuity has some characteristics in common. Tax deferred escalation or growth is such a particular feature. As with any benefit provision from government, there is also certain disadvantage associated with it. If you withdraw any cash from the annuity before 59 years then you have to pay taxes as well as 10% penalty for the escalation. Since the annuity financial allotments tag on LIFO rules, enter first, exit last, IRS gives primary importance to interest.

The easiest way to narrow down the selection is to decide exactly what you want in your product. Fixed annuities are probably the easiest to understand. These products are often compared to CDs. The fixed annuity pays a fixed rate of return, there's no risk to the principle because of market fluctuations and like a CD, and after a specific period you can remove the cash value penalty free.

Unlike a CD, however, often annuities offer the ability to remove funds before the surrender penalty ends. While most CDs and annuities give you the option of removing the interest each year, many fixed annuities also give you the right to invade the principle. The more liberal contracts allow you to remove up to ten percent of the contract value each year. If you don't use it, you don't lose it but instead, it adds to the percentage the following years.

Though the variable annuities also do have a fixed money value within it, this type of annuity mostly deals with mutual fund deposits as their funding vehicle. In variable annuities, principle oscillates unlike fixed annuity. Certain variable annuity dealings guarantees clients with riders which give some percentage of return each year or to a minimum give back the premium without considering the market conditions. These riders of course will charge a small amount each year but are very significant in dropping market values.

The clients could switch on to other families of investments unlike the schemes outside the variable annuity contracts without any payment each time. The tax deferred mode does not trigger any revenues while moving from one fund to another.

The indexed annuity is an amalgamation kind of annuity of the fixed annuity and the variable kind. It has an assured interest rate just like the fixed annuity, but in a lesser level than majority of the fixed annuities. This is so because it has better chance of possible superior growth. The annuity is related to a particular index such as S & P 500 or any international stock index. When the particular index improves, the owner gets a part of the growth as envisaged in the contract.

Like the fixed and variable annuity, each contract varies. All types of annuities do give some access to funds but the details of each vary from company to company. Within these three types of contracts, you also have the ability to take an immediate annuity or a deferred annuity. The difference is whether you begin an income immediately or simply allow the funds to grow, potentially taking an income later if at all.

In order to sift through all the possibilities it's often wise to use the services of an annuity expert. Some informational sites on the Internet offer not just specifics on how annuities work but annuity quotes to help you make a more informed decision. - 31884

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