Annuities

 An annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company in which the company promises to make periodic payments to you, starting immediately or at some future time. You buy an annuity either with a single payment or a series of payments called premiums.

Some annuity contracts provide a way to save for retirement. Others can turn your savings into a stream of retirement income. Still others do both. If you use an annuity as a savings vehicle and the insurance company delays your pay-out to the future, you have a deferred annuity. If you use the annuity to create a source of retirement income and your payments start right away, you have an immediate annuity. 

Types of Annuities

• Fixed Annuities -  With a fixed annuity, the insurance company guarantees both the rate of return (the interest rate) and the payout to the investor. Although the word "fixed" might suggest otherwise, the interest rate on a fixed annuity can change over time. The contract will explain whether, how and when this can happen. Often the interest rate is fixed for a number of years and then changes periodically based on current rates. Payouts can be for an entire lifetime, or you can choose another time period.   
• Variable Annuities -  As its name implies, a variable annuity's rate of return changes with the stock, bond and money market funds that you choose as investment options. Variable annuities are sometimes compared to mutual funds because they offer similar investment features, including investment choices—called "separate accounts"—that resemble mutual funds. 
• Indexed Annuities -  Indexed annuities—also known as "equity-indexed annuities" or "fixed-indexed annuities"—are complex financial instruments that have characteristics of both fixed and variable annuities. Indexed annuities offer a minimum guaranteed interest rate combined with an interest rate linked to a market index, hence the name.