Learn what annuities are, how fixed, variable, indexed, immediate, and deferred annuities work, and how they can help provide steady retirement income.

Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. Roger Wohlner is an experienced financial writer, ghostwriter, and advisor with 20 years of ...

If there is one investment that sparks both deep confusion and heated debate, it’s annuities. It starts with the fact that these are insurance products, even when they are combined with mutual funds.

But, I’m not referring to those examples. Instead, I’m referring to the insurance product. Why? Because Annuities are rising in popularity. LIMRA reports that total U.S. annuity sales increased 22% to ...

An annuity is a contract with an insurance company. With income annuities, you give them a pool of your money, and they send it back to you as a stream of income. When it comes to annuities helping ...

With the retirement playing field littered with crushed investments and dreams, the safety of guaranteed income streams looks more attractive each day. Some annuities can provide such a guarantee. If ...

Often, annuities and trusts are the best way to save for retirement and leave a legacy for your loved ones. However, when combined into what’s known as an annuity trust, they can provide powerful ...

“The goal in creating Simple Solutions was to give individuals and the banks which serve them an easy-to-understand, lower-cost variable annuity with solid basic benefits,” said Kevin Crowe, managing ...

Yes, annuities provide valuable tax-deferred growth. But for more than any other reason, annuities are valuable because of their guarantees. In an annuity, the insurer makes certain contractual ...

When you need another stream of income for retirement, you might consider an annuity. You purchase the annuity from an insurance company and receive payments back at a later date. Before buying an ...