Annuities

Annuities come in many shapes and sizes geared toward consumers looking for growth, protection, income or a combination of these. At its most basic level, an annuity is an agreement where you pay a premium or premiums and the insurance company pays you a stream of income now or in the future, depending on the payout options available on the annuity you select. But annuities can be so much more than that.

Annuities offer various features depending on the type you select:

• Give you opportunities to grow your money tax-deferred.¹
• Provide an income stream including one that you can’t outlive.
• Protect your assets from market fluctuations (fixed and indexed annuities only).
• Provide a guaranteed interest rate for a period of time.²
• Provide a death benefit for your beneficiaries.

What’s your retirement need? An annuity could help you.

There are various types of annuities that can give you the benefits offered above:

• Fixed annuites – guaranteed fixed rate of return.²
• Index annuities – offer interest crediting strategies that are linked to participation in the increase, if any, of an index or benchmark with downside protection; living benefits may provide additional guarantees for an additional cost.
• Variable annuities – invest in variable investment options with unlimited upside potential and downside risk; living and death benefits may be available to provide guarantees for an added cost.
• Income annuities – immediate or deferred stream of income guaranteed for life.²

The annuity market is growing and changing to meet the evolving needs of consumers in a variety of retirement planning stages. Depending on where you are in your journey and your needs and goals — accumulation, lifetime income, protection — one or more types of annuities could be a good fit in your overall retirement plan.