Annuity FYI Blog

While 77% of people are happier in retirement than they were when they were working, retirement does face challenges that may be unexpected.  Milwaukee’s Journal Sentinel works on “Addressing the four most common post-retirement challenges.”  Longevity, or the fear of running out of money during your lifetime, is one of the biggest risks in retirement.  As many people live to age 90 and beyond, retirement savings need to stretch farther than ever before.  Health care costs are rising fast and the fact that you need more health care as you age makes this added cost a stressor for many retirees.

Becoming a widow is one retirement challenge that no one wants to think about.  But the reality of the situation is that 75% of married couples have a spouse who spends at least five years as a widow or widower.  The need for long term care of some sort is becoming a bigger challenge for retirees.  Four out of five women and three out of five men will need some type of long term care for a chronic health condition during their lifetime.

There are some solutions to these four major retirement challenges.  Annuity products help to make sure that you do not run out of money in retirement.  The guaranteed income from an annuity can last over a retiree’s lifetime and even include death benefits to last over a spouse’s lifetime.  Purchasing Medicare supplement insurance helps retirees face the increasing health care costs by covering whatever Medicare does not.  Some life insurance policies work in terms to cover long term care.  This long term care insurance is important to help cover the cost of extended care and the life insurance policy helps ensure that a widow is cared for in the tragic death of a spouse.  Insurance against financial doom will help relieve retirement challenges.

Written by Rachel Summit

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Pacific Life has a way to increase your retirement income with their fixed indexed annuity, even if the markets don’t increase in your favor.  Their Pacific Index Choice deferred fixed indexed annuity has been popular lately as those nearing or in retirement seek to protect their savings while hoping for growth in the markets.  But in the event that the markets don’t increase, while your principal will still be safe, there is a new option available that still allows you to increase your retirement income.

The Enhanced Lifetime Income Benefit gives you the option to grow your income, regardless of what happens in the marketplace.  Your income base will increase by 8% every year for ten years if you put off taking your withdrawals for an extended time.  This can add up to a significant amount of money, especially for people who haven’t earned interest on their annuity due to a declining financial index.

The company press release gives an example of someone who purchases a $100,000 annuity with the Enhanced Lifetime Income Benefit.  By waiting ten years before taking withdrawals, the 8% increase would give this person a $180,000 income base instead of the $100,000.  Monthly payments vary based on the other options associated with the annuity, such as whether it is a lifetime income annuity or a death benefit annuity, but you could receive up to 7% annually from this fixed indexed annuity.

Written by Rachel Summit

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In Maria Wood’s LifeHealthPro article “Checking Into Annuities,” the author draws a comparison between the annuity industry and the hotel industry after working in both.  Both annuities and hotels may seem like simple products at first glance, but both have many different options and their industries work hard to cater to the needs of their clients.  For people who didn’t want to pay more money for hotel amenities they didn’t use, hotels started changing their offerings and excluding some items to make rates cheaper.  There is always the option of an expensive hotel with all the amenities for those looking of course.

The annuity industry works hard to to cater to clients’ needs while maintaining their bottom line.  That is what brought about the options of fixed annuities, variable annuities, indexed annuities, and deferred versus immediate annuities.  Some annuities exist that combine long term care insurance or life insurance with an annuity product.  There are many options for funds, riders, and distribution channels when looking into the best immediate annuities and deferred annuities.

Innovation is important in both the annuity industry and the hotel industry.  With hotels, it ensures that everyone can get the exact amenities they want for the price.  The same holds true for annuity products.  If you want to pay more for GLWBs, death benefits, or other annuity riders; that is available to you.  Variable annuities are great for investors who like some risk and can handle stock market ups and downs.  Those looking to take on little to no risk are better suited for indexed annuity products.  Annuities and hotels both try to cater to the clients who use or will use them.

Written by Rachel Summit

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While the financial climate is likely to continue its up and down pattern in 2012, the safety of annuities will keep their popularity intact this year.  Eric Thomes of Life Health Pro gives five predictions for annuities in 2012 in his article, “Annuity Industry Crystal Ball: 5 Predictions for the Year Ahead.”  First of all, chances are good that interest rates will remain low this year.  Even with low fixed annuity rates, sales of annuities hit records last year.  The industry has done a fantastic job of showing people that making money in retirement isn’t the only thing to focus on; it’s also important to protect the money that you have already made.

Markets are likely to remain volatile and the news media is hyping this up to the maximum.  The best thing you can do is maintain a financial professional that you trust to sort out the headlines and make sound decisions.  A volatile market is not necessarily a bad thing for annuity investors.  The industry needs to focus on the safety of annuities so that its clients don’t panic in down markets or rush into rash transactions when markets are up.  November’s presidential election will keep retirement a big topic in the news.  From Social Security and pensions to tax changes, regardless of the election’s outcome, annuity holders will be safe.

Fixed equity indexed annuities will be more popular than ever in 2012.  The end of 2011 brought new companies into the fixed indexed annuity market, companies who had never previously sold this type of annuity.  A rough financial market has highlighted the benefits of market downside protection and potential for upside gain that are offered by fixed equity indexed annuities.  More sellers means innovation and better choice in the fixed indexed annuity market.  Finally, investors will continue their need for safety and security in retirement.  The guaranteed income that you cannot outlive is an annuity benefit unparalleled in the financial world.  It is up to insurers and advisors to educate their clients about annuity benefits.

Written by Rachel Summit

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In “Outlook 2012: Annuities-Industry at Crossroads, With Weatherford, Greenwald, Cortazzo,” John Sullivan of AdvisorOne says that annuities should do well next year despite some potential hurdles.  With two major annuity carriers departing the market recently, you would think that would forecast a big problem for annuities overall.  But that is just a product of some horrible market conditions and the need for annuities now is greater than ever.  Lifetime income guarantees are more important now than ever before as Baby Boomers retire and markets remain less than stable.  As the market makes it harder for insurers to hedge those guarantees and run their companies, the annuity market will likely change to try and keep up.

While there is a greater need for annuity products than there was in 2007, there are fewer carriers to meet that need.  Low interest rates and a volatile market are a double whammy for insurers, according to MACRO Consulting Group’s Mark Cortazzo.  He thinks that advisors should look at products with short surrender periods and liquidity.  He says that his company looks to match annuities with people who need income right away, want security, and may be making no money in a money market.  So even with low immediate annuity rates, there are many consumers who still stand to benefit from the use of annuities in their portfolios.

Matt Greenwald, CEO and president of an annuity research firm, doesn’t believe that the companies leaving the annuities market is quite that significant.  He stresses that factors beyond the annuities market led to the exit of these Canadian insurers and thinks that the annuity industry will continue to do well despite its challenges.  Cathy Weatherford of the IRI says that government recommendations for using 401k annuities and other annuity products so that some retirement income is guaranteed to Americans will also help to strengthen the industry in 2012.  So while the financial markets are making things difficult for the annuity industry, overall it should remain strong and overcome its challenges.

Written by Rachel Summit

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