Based on the type of payout of the benefits, annuities are classified as immediate income and deferred income (that includes fixed payment, variable payment, equity indexed) annuities. Although annuities provide tax benefits, there are a lot of costs involved in it when compared to traditional investment plans. Once the investment type is chosen, it is important to consider other aspects of investing in annuities to earn the best income.
The benefits payout options is also another aspect that needs to be looked into to earn maximum income. These can be broadly categorized into three types:
Apart from providing benefits of tax deferral, fixed payment annuities also offer a slightly higher rate of growth due to the following reasons:
After making a comparative analysis, deferred income annuities seem to offer a guaranteed retirement income. These annuities pay around 3-4% higher than a standard 10 year treasury bond. Also, some tax rules allow consumers to invest 25% or up to $125,000 into an annuity. But this required IRA withdrawals to begin after completing 70.5 years of age and income to be withdrawn by the age of 85. These are often called as qualified retirement plans and are regulated by ERISA. Any qualified plan must provide annuities in the form of SLA (Single Life Annuity) and a QJSA (Qualified Joint & Survivor Annuity).