Setting aside a part of monthly income is a good practice as it turns out to be of great advantage in the twilight years. But the saved amount will be of no or very little use if it is kept idle. In other words, you must make a proper arrangement for your savings to grow over the passage of time. Purchasing an Annuity policy serves this purpose to a T.
Annuities are nothing but a long time investment made by the individuals and in exchange they earn periodic income from the insurance companies. During the period of accumulation, interest rate is added to the main figure of investment and thereby making it swell. Annuity is of a variety of types though the underline principle remains the same for each.
The most common and popular type is obviously tax-deferred annuity. As the name suggests, the income is not taxed till withdrawal. Such a facility contributes towards the income growth. However, tax is deferred only and not exempted. Therefore, when the money is withdrawn, tax is deducted from the income.
Annuity may be of fixed or variable nature. In case of the fixed type, the investors feel more secured as the interest rate is not dominated by the economic condition. So, the income growth rate is immune to the crisis in the financial sector. Though the investors remain unscathed in the event of economic depression, they lose the chance of earning extra income in times of buoyant phase.Variable annuity is opposite to the features the fixed type. The interest rate fluctuates a lot during the accumulation stage and is driven by the market scenario. A minimum rate is, however, pre-set to protect the interest of the investors. Though a little bit of risk is attached in this case, still the individuals stand to gain in the event of favorable market condition.