A. An fixed annuity is a contract issued by an insurance company that guarantees to pay a stream of income either immediately or in the future.
Q. Who needs a fixed annuity?
A. Fixed annnuities are designed to covert liquid assets into an income stream either today or at some future point in time.
Q. What is covered?
A. Fixed annuities offer tax deferred growth as well as guaranteed income.
Q. What are the different types of fixed annuities?
A. Fixed annuities may be either immediate annuities or deferred annuities. With immediate annuities, the income stream begins within 12 months from the purchase date. You decide upon the monthly amount needed and how long the income will be received. Deferred annuities offer tax-deferred accumulation of assets over time. There are two types of deferred annuities-fixed and variable. Tax-deferred annuities offer the ability to turn the investment into an income stream in the future.
Q. What is the difference between a fixed annuity and a variable annuity?
A. Fixed annuities are like CD's. Fixed annuities offer guarantees on principal and offer a fixed interest rate that is declared in advance. Variable annuities combine investment and protection features. With variable annuities, retirement assets are invested through professionally managed investment options.
Fixed annuities offer lower risk and lower growth potential. Variable annuities offer more growth potential in return for increased risk. Variable annuity portfolios generally include stock and bond portfolios ranging from extremely conservative to aggressive risk levels. The value of a variable annuity will depend upon how the investment portfolio performs.
Q. What is an equity-indexed annuity?
A. Indexed annuities are actually fixed annuities in which the growth of your investment is "linked" to the performance of stock market indices like the S & P 500. With indexed annuities, there is the potential to have a higher rate of return than a traditional fixed annuity might offer, without the risk of market loss that would be associated with variable investments.
Q. Why Balanced Insurance Group for fixed income annuities?
A. If you are seeking guaranteed immediate income for life or for a specified number of years, Balanced Insurance Group can help explain to you the various options, as well as help you maximize the fixed annuity payout. Annuitization factors vary widely by company. It is important to work with an independent brokerage that can produce the highest income payout for your deposit.
