An annuity is guaranteed lifetime income that reduces the likelihood that you’ll run out of money in retirement. Income from an annuity is predictable, steady, and cannot be outlived. This Annuities 101 article provides an overview of annuities and links to resources that will help you decide if an annuity is right for you.
An annuity is a way to turn your savings into guaranteed income you can’t outlive, no matter what happens in the market or how long you live. But, like everything else, there are the good and the bad. Learn how to tell the difference.
A classic, good annuity is one that provides guaranteed income for as long as you live. It’s a way to diversify your portfolio, and make sure that your basic retirement expenses will be covered. But beware of market-based annuities that promise too much and don't deliver good value.
At Blueprint Income, we're working to make the annuity market a simpler and easier space to navigate. Each day we're focused on offering a better service and product that makes sense for you.
A summary of rate lock procedures for income annuities and fixed annuities.
Not all annuity website are created equal. Do your homework.
Not all insurance agents are created equal. Be leery of those who think of your financial life as an opportunity to sell you something.
Should you hate annuities? Yes, some types. Others? No, not if you believe the federal government, trusted academics or Ken Fisher himself.
There are warning signs building that the 8-10% average market returns we’ve experienced over the last decade likely are not here to stay. The guaranteed 4%+ growth of most top-paying fixed annuities are starting to look more attractive.
Annuity rates didn’t really budge in August. But given the declines in bond yields, that’s actually a good thing and means that annuity pricing might soon decline. If you’re thinking about making an annuity purchase before the end of the year, now is an attractive time to do it.
If one's goal is to avoid running out of money in retirement while leaving the largest possible legacy behind at death, then income annuities play a crucial role. In Blueprint Income's recent white paper, we demonstrate that portfolios made up of just stocks and annuities produce the best outcomes.
A flattening yield curve (one where the difference between short-term and long-term Treasury yields is smaller than usual) suggests two annuity buying strategies. Either buy a fixed rate annuity now, and wait for rates to rise before buying an income annuity. Or, start buying income now but do so in small pieces over time.
Inflation risk in retirement captures the possibility that the prices of goods will increase beyond what your retirement income and savings can handle. Annuities do not do a good job protecting you from that risk, and instead are built to protect you from the other two big risks: market risk and longevity risk.
The Federal Reserve recently raised short term interest rates by 0.25%, but how does this impact annuity payouts? Learn what factors, in addition to changes in interest rates, can affect your annuity payout.
An annuity is a lifetime income guarantee that you purchase from an insurance company, who is overseen by state-based guaranty funds that insurers your annuity purchases. In this article, we discuss this important protection, as well as provide some helpful resources that you should be aware of.
An annuity is guaranteed lifetime income that reduces the likelihood that you’ll run out of money in retirement. Income from an annuity is predictable, steady, and cannot be outlived. This Annuities 101 article provides an overview of annuities and links to resources that will help you decide if an annuity is right for you.
To make the process of buying an annuity as seamless as possible, prepare to go through the following steps and be familiar with the following terminology. In addition to providing free, real-time annuity quotes, Blueprint Income will take care of the rest of the annuity buying process for you.
An income annuity isn’t a good fit for everyone. Use the following strategies if an annuity isn’t the best fit for your retirement saving plan.
Qualified and non-qualified income annuities have differing tax treatment, meaning that once your retirement income has begun you will receive different tax forms reporting the amount of income generated from your qualified or non-qualified annuity. Here are the tax forms for your annuity and when you can expect to receive them.
Increasing annuity rates, usually driven by long-term Treasury bonds and investment-grade corporate bond yields, have caused buyers to question whether the trend will continue and how that affects their plan to purchase an annuity. While it's challenging to predict future long-term interest rates, there are strategies to mitigate interest rate risk.