Monthly Archives: October 2013

Is a Variable Annuity worth the hassle?

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There are two main types of annuity – fixed annuity and Variable Annuity. Within these two types, there are different products, and different bells and whistles that can be added to different annuities to make them work best for you. The fact is that there are several different options when it comes to annuities – so it is extremely important to explore the open market and make a thoroughly researched decision. After all, an annuity, whether it is fixed or variable, cannot be changed or cancelled once purchased.

So let us look at the two main types of annuity. A fixed annuity is where the income you receive remains fixed and level throughout the term of the annuity. A fixed annuity is also known as a level annuity because the income remains level. The term of the annuity depends on the type of annuity it is. A lifelong fixed annuity will pay a fixed regular and guaranteed income for as long as you live.

A fixed term annuity will pay a fixed, regular, and guaranteed income for a fixed period of time. This is a pre-agreed period, and the annuity can continue to pay your partner or beneficiaries for the fixed period even if you die within the term of the annuity.

A variable annuity is one where the annuity income is not fixed and can vary through the term of the annuity. For instance, an investment linked annuity is a variable annuity, where the annuity is linked to an external investment such as in stocks or shares. The income you receive from this annuity depends on the performance of the investment – so it could be much higher than a conventional annuity if the investment performs well over time; but similarly, it could also be lower than a conventional annuity.

There is also the risk that you may end up losing the amount you invested in the annuity in the first place. This is a risk that is inherent in this type of investments. Other types of variable annuity include escalating annuity or inflation linked annuity.

An escalating annuity is where income increases by a fixed percentage each year. Although you receive a higher amount in the later stages of the annuity, the income during the outset is generally lower than a conventional annuity, all other things being equal. The risk with this type of annuity is that you really benefit from the increase only at a later stage, and have to compromise during the early stages of the annuity.

A variable annuity could work for you depending on your individual circumstances and your priorities. On the other hand, if you prefer to have a guaranteed fixed income, rather than worry about inflation indices and external investments, then a conventional level annuity may suit you best. It is important to note that there are risks associated with a variable annuity that do not exist with a simple level annuity. If you are not sure about which annuity may suit you, always consult a professional advisor who can give you impartial and expert advice on the matter.

What value would an Annuity bring to you?

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We are living for longer today than ever before. At the same time, the cost of living is ever rising. Changing social and economic factors mean that planning your finances during retirement has become more important than ever before. After all, retirement is known as the golden period, when one should be able to enjoy the fruits of life’s labour. It is therefore vital to plan carefully and optimise your financial assets to provide for you when you stop working. Things like annuity value prove to be immensely significant during retirement, as an annuity is one of the most important, and often the only source of income for pensioners.

An annuity provides a regular and steady income in exchange for a lump sum. People usually invest their pension savings into an annuity scheme, which then pays out an income either for as long as you live, or for a pre-agreed period of time. How much income an annuity can offer you, or Annuity Value, depends on the size of your annuity fund, which is the amount invested in the annuity, as well as various other factors.

The most important factors that determines annuity value is the type of annuity you choose to invest in and the current annuity rates. Other factors include age, gender, and location. Depending on your health and lifestyle, you could also be eligible for an enhanced annuity, which has a higher annuity value based on the shorter than average life expectancy of the applicant.

Often an annuity is the only source of income during retirement, and so choosing the right annuity with sufficient annuity value is extremely important. Once you buy an annuity it cannot be changed or cancelled – so it is important to make the correct decision the first time around. An annuity offers a chance to make the most of your life savings, but choosing an annuity that underperforms or does not suit your needs could mean losing your life savings to an ineffective investment.

It is imperative to shop around and use the open market option to find the most suitable annuity with a sufficient annuity value. You can consult an independent financial advisor with expertise in the retirement sector to understand the implications of investing in different types of annuities and choosing the best option. You can also use online tools like annuity calculators etc. to find out the best annuity value you could get in exchange for your annuity fund.

FSA Annuities are Now Renowned as FCA Annuities

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The Financial Services Authority was the regulator of the financial sector in the UK, and the watchdog for service providers, companies and organisations working within the finance industry. The FSA recently experienced a major re-haul and two new bodies were put in its place – The Financial Conduct Authority and The Prudential Regulation Authority. As such, annuities regulated by the FSA, popularly referred to as FSA annuities are now known as FCA annuities.

It is very important to ensure that the annuity provider you choose is properly regulated by the industry watchdog. A company that is accountable to the regulatory body is always a safer bet than one that is not. For the past years, this was the FSA, and so it became important to choose providers regulated by the FSA or FSA Annuities. Today, since the FCA has replaced the FSA as the industry watchdog, it is important to make sure that the annuity provider you choose is an FCA annuity.

The FSA had been facing criticism recently for its failure to predict the lending crisis, as well as its failure to prevent the recurrent economic bust. The FSA has also come under fire due to its inability to control risky investment practices by banks. The FCA has regulatory, investigative and enforcement powers that purportedly make it efficient at regulating the entire financial sector and ensuring that customers are protected. Today, annuities that were once touted as being FSA annuities will now become FCA annuities.

You can find more information about different types of annuities, as well as information about different providers by exploring online resources. There are a number of websites that offer useful information, as well as advice about different annuity products. You can also find free and useful tools like online calculators that you can use to work out the maximum income an annuity can generate for you.

You can find information about different annuity companies and providers by exploring company websites. This will also tell you if the company is FSA/FCA approved and if it is accountable to the regulatory body. FCA/FSA annuities offer additional protection since they are obliged to follow the regulations made by the industry regulator.

Just like the FSA, the work of the new FCA includes providing information about fraud prevention, consumer action, as well as about different products and services. In order to protect yourself and commit to a reliable company, always make sure that the annuities you select are FSA annuities, now FCA annuities.

Save Thousands a Year by Using the Open Market Option!

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The open market option is the right of the consumer to shop around before choosing an annuity. An annuity cannot be changed or cancelled once it has been bought – so it is immensely important to choose correctly the first time around! After all, an annuity can have an impact on your financial security for the rest of your life, and is therefore one of the most significant financial investments in life.

Research shows that a huge proportion of people are not aware of the open market option and that many people still continue to commit to the first offer made to them by their existing pension provider. This is not to say that the offer made by your pension provider will not be competitive. But according to some research, shopping around could help you get up to 20% more income than your existing provider, depending on which annuity and provider you choose, and an impaired or enhanced annuity could mean getting up to 46% more! Using the Open Market Option and shopping around for the best annuity scheme can therefore help you to save thousands of pounds over the year and a vastly significant amount of money over time.

There are many different types of annuities and choosing the most suitable annuity can seem a bit daunting. This is probably why some people simply choose to stick with their existing pension provider for an annuity. But thanks to all the information, resources and tools available today, understanding the annuity market and making an informed choice is not difficult at all.

There are many comparison and advice websites out there which can offer objective information about different types of annuities. You can learn about fixed annuity options, variable annuity options, as well as different bells and whistles that you can choose to add to an annuity. You can also use online tools like the pension calculator, to work out the maximum income you can get for your pension savings lump sum. These free tools and resources can really help you make the best of the open market option. Most insurance companies and annuity providers also offer lots of information on their websites, as well as offering free instant quotes based on your individual case.

Shopping around and using the open market option has never been easier or more convenient than it is today, thanks to the wealth of resources and information available. If you need more help and guidance when choosing, you can also consult an independent financial advisor. In fact, for certain types of annuities, such as investment linked or escalating annuities, it is essential to take independent advice from an expert. An IFA can help you understand your own needs, different products and how they work, and ultimately make a considered decision.

Create Your Own Bespoke Annuity

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An annuity is a way to turn pension savings into regular usable income for the rest of your life, or for a pre agreed period of time. Usually, an annuity is bought with a lump sum from the pension pot, and the size of the lump sum will determine how much income you could get back from the annuity. But annuity income also depends on a number of other factors including age, gender, location, health, the kind of annuity you choose, and of course current annuity rates.

Your pension provider is obligated to make an annuity offer to you; however, you have the right to explore the open market before making a choice. This is known as the open market option and your pension provider is required to make you aware of this path. Shopping around for an Annuity can help you understand the various types of annuities that are available from a multitude of annuity providers.

For instance, there are fixed annuities that pay a fixed income for the entire term of the annuity, and variable annuities such as escalating or investment linked annuities where the income you receive from the annuity varies over time due to several external factors. While a fixed, stable, guaranteed income may work for some people, others may like to have income that is linked to inflation or income that is linked to an external investment product.

An annuity once purchased cannot be changed or cancelled so it is vital to shop around and find an annuity that is the best match for your individual circumstances and needs. It is also important to be aware that many annuities have additional bells and whistles that can be added to the product. For instance, some annuities have the option of adding features whereby your income will continue to be paid to your partner or beneficiaries for a certain fixed period even after you are gone.

You could protect your income from being eroded by inflation by adding an escalating feature, where the annuity payments increase by a certain percentage each year or by investing in an inflation linked annuity, where the payments depend on the Retail Price Index. Naturally, adding extra bells and whistles such as these will generally impact payments in the initial stage – so that, for example, an escalating annuity will pay less than a conventional level annuity at the start of the annuity.

It is important to understand the details of how the annuity works before investing. The key to getting the perfect annuity is to use different tools and options to make the annuity work for you, and to strike the right balance between the level of income you need immediately, and the level of income you would ideally like to receive in the future.

Get the lowdown on the Two Types of Annuities

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An annuity is one of the most popular ways to optimise financial savings and use them to provide a regular income during retirement. Annuities are sold by insurance companies that offer this regular income in exchange for a lump sum – usually from the pension pot. There are many different types of annuities available on the market – but the two main types of annuities are fixed lifetime annuities (also known as level annuities), and variable annuities.

Fixed Annuities

Fixed lifetime annuities – fixed annuities are annuities where the income you receive remains fixed for the rest of your life – or until a predetermined period of time. You receive the income at fixed intervals, either monthly, quarterly, every six months, or yearly. The income you get from a fixed annuity depends on various factors such as the size of your pension pot, current annuity rates, your health and lifestyle, gender, and even your address. This is the most popular types of Annuities.

All these factors help the insurance company work out how much they can afford to pay you as a fixed regular income. You can also add extra features to a fixed annuity such as joint life option – where the income continues to be paid to the surviving partner, or early death guarantee, where the annuity payments continue for a fixed period even if you die during that period.

Fixed annuities can offer the security of a fixed regular income throughout your life. However, they do not offer protection against rising inflation or increasing spending, nor do they benefit from any upward movement in the financial markets in the future. There are different types of annuities that can offer a variable income during retirement.

Variable Annuities

There are different types of annuities that offer variable income during retirement. Variable annuities provide a change in income over the course of the annuity – and this may be due to different factors, depending on the type of variable annuity.

Inflation or RPI linked annuities are linked to the rates of inflation. High levels of inflation in the future will mean that you receive more income and thus have more spending power. On the other hand, fixed annuities offer a fixed income throughout the term of the annuity, so your income could lose its value over time if inflation continues to rise – which it always will.

Some other types of annuities that offer variable income include percentage increasing annuity – where the income increases at regular intervals at a fixed percentage, which is usually 3% or 5% per year. Both these as well as RPI linked annuities generally pay a lower income than fixed annuities in order to compensate for the future rises in income. You can also get annuities with an investment linked component. The investment component is linked to an external investment – so the income you receive will depend on the performance of that external investment and is not guaranteed.

Some other types of annuities include joint annuities where you can have your income paid to a partner after you are gone, and enhanced annuities, where the insurance company pays more based on a lower than average life expectancy. Enhanced annuities are available to those who meet certain health and lifestyle criteria such as regular smoking, health conditions like heart disease, obesity etc.

Fixed annuities have the advantage of providing a guaranteed, lifelong secured income. Variable annuities may offer a variable income which can help combat rising inflation, rising future expenses etc. However, variable annuities will generally pay less than its fixed counterpart in the initial stages. There are many different types of annuities available in the market and the key to finding an annuity or annuities that suit your needs is to shop around, understand each product and then make an informed choice.

Different Types of Annuities

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There are a number of different kinds of annuities and in order to get the most out of your choice of product it is important that you know what kinds of annuities are available and how they can benefit you. Firstly, there are annuities which are called Capital Protected Annuities and help provide annuitants with peace of mind. With this kind of annuity if you pass away before you reach 75, the fund that you have built up will be given back to your estate, excluding of course the income that has previously been utilised and a tax of 35%.

There are also impaired and enhanced annuities. A normal annuity is calculated to accommodate a life expectancy that does not reach beyond the average, so if you have an illness or condition that would decrease your life expectancy you can apply for an enhanced annuity or an impaired annuity. About a third of people reaching retirement have the potential to get an enhanced or impaired annuity. These annuities will give you extra income, so it is an excellent thing to apply for. Typically those who are smokers, overweight or have a history of cancer or heart disease are likely to get annuities of this kind.

Annuities which are called investment linked are annuities which are linked to the stock market. With this kind of annuity you can get the basic benefits of an annuity plus the potential of stock market development and what this could mean for your income. However, due to its link with the stock market there is no guarantee that an investment linked annuity will increase your income or improve it in any way.

With-profits annuities level out your investment over a period of time, this means that when you take out an annuity like this you choose an ABR or Anticipated Bonus Rate. If your anticipated bonus rate is lower than the insurance company’s then your income rises, but the opposite is also true.

There are a number of other kinds of annuities all offering a varying balance between your investment and your returns. With each option there is a risk and a reward and it will be up to you to decide which option best suits your lifestyle and the life you want to keep living. Annuities are a gamble, but a much less risky gamble than other investments that are available, and with all the options to choose from you can tailor your annuity to benefit you.

An Impaired Life Annuity: Explained

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When it comes to the time to think about retiring and beginning to plan a future after retirement one of your biggest worries will no doubt be how to make the money you have spent years saving last for as long as you will need it. This is a serious worry and it may simply be the case that your retirement pension will not be enough to get you through. With this troubling thought being more common and unfortunately more realistic, it is all the more important to know all the ways to make your money stretch as far as possible and an impaired life annuity can be helpful here.

An impaired life annuity is one of a number of different kinds of annuities that you can choose from. An annuity in general is calculated by the insurance company according to your life expectancy. The longer you are expected to live, the smaller your income will be. There are however exceptions to this. When you first look into annuities you may come across an annuity calculator, it will give you an idea of the annuity rate you can expect.

But it will ask you a number of questions to get to that answer; questions about your age, gender and general health. And this is the trick. More than a third of people are eligible for an impaired life annuity but do not even apply. If you are a smoker, if you are overweight, if you have a history of cancer or heart disease, if you are on prescription medication or have been hospitalised recently then you are in all likelihood eligible for an impaired life annuity.

Because the medical condition that you have will decrease your life expectancy, the regular income that you can expect to get will be greater. The actual income will depend on your current state of health and will need to be assessed, usually through a financial advisor independent of your annuity provider. It can be quite a lengthy process to apply for an enhanced life annuity, which is why most people shy away from it, but it could make a huge difference to your monthly income at a time when any small difference is very much needed. Do not miss out, make the effort and give yourself that little bit extra to get you through your retirement without all the financial hassles that usually come with it.

Impaired Annuities Explained

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Annuities have become increasingly popular and reliable in ensuring the financial security of individuals as they age and move in to their older phases of life. There are different annuities available and choosing the right annuity with the right provider can help to ensure a stable financial life during the years of retirement. With an economy that is often tumultuous and unpredictable, many individuals are seeking ways in which to ensure that their retirement years will be as free from financial worry as possible. For some, an impaired annuity offers the most lucrative and stable means to do so.

Eligibility Factors

Annuities are offered by insurance companies and are financial products used to help secure financial stability in the years ahead. They can be purchased in a couple of different ways, either through a payment system or in one larger lump sum. At a later date, the annuity is dispersed through monthly payments to the annuitant directly.

There are several advantages to annuities, perhaps the biggest of which is that the money in the account is eligible for tax-deferment until the funds are withdrawn.  This can be hugely impactful during retirement years in that most individuals make less money during retirement than during their working years, meaning that the tax break can be increasingly more beneficial after retirement.

Annuities are paid out on a monthly basis, most often until the death of the annuity’s owner.  To ensure the appropriate timing of the annuity payments, an insurance actuary will estimate the life span of the annuity’s owner to determine the most appropriate payout each month.  There are several different factors that are considered when the lifespan is predicted. One of these is the health condition of the annuity owner.

An impaired annuity becomes an option for those individuals who have a physical condition or health concern that can be expected to decrease their life expectancy.  For those with a qualifying condition, more money from the annuity can be received on a monthly basis, since the term of the annuity is expected to be shortened. The qualifying conditions for an impaired annuity can vary but there are several that are very commonly seen by insurers. These include diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.

In the United Kingdom, annuity accounts are typically converted from retirement pensions. In order to qualify for an impaired annuity in the UK the expectation is that the annuity owner will not live for more than four or five years. The conditions most often accepted under an impaired annuity in the UK include cancer, stroke, heart disease and major organ failure. In the UK, impaired annuities can also sometimes be offered to residents in nursing homes. They may even be purchased rather quickly to ensure payment is prompt.

Advantages of Impaired Annuities

To qualify for an impaired annuity, the individual must have their medical history reviewed and confirmed. However, the advantages to qualifying for an impaired annuity can be tremendous. For those individuals that qualify, there is no way to verify that the years lived will be shorter than those individuals who do not qualify for the impaired annuity. That means that for those who qualify for the impaired annuity, the financial advantage can be quite beneficial if they live past the amount of years predicted given their health condition(s).

Most insurance estimates predict that an individual can receive approximately 30% more money with an impaired annuity than they would with a standard annuity.

Annuities present a way to safeguard financial security during retirement years. However, for those individuals who qualify for an impaired annuity, the increased income during what may be the last years of life can prove to be even more beneficial.

For those who qualify, the benefits of an impaired annuity far outlast those of a standard annuity.

Annuity Options

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When after years of working you reach the age when you begin to think about retiring and what this might mean for your financial future and your future in general, you will no doubt begin to think about retirement schemes, investments and the possibility of taking out an annuity. Annuity schemes are run by insurance companies and each insurance company will have a variety of annuity options that you will have to choose from, should you opt for taking out an annuity.

Before you can understand annuity options, you first have to understand how an annuity works. When you retire, and you decide to take out an annuity, you exchange the whole of your pension for the guarantee of a regular income. You can decide how regularly you want to receive your income; monthly, quarterly, bi-annually or annually. Clearly there can be many variations to an annuity and one of the annuity options that you will need to decide between will be between a fixed annuity and an index related annuity.

The first annuity option, the fixed annuity, will give you a fixed income each month. This amount will not change over time. Alternatively you can choose an index related annuity which is tied to the stock market and will fluctuate accordingly. Another annuity option to think about is an enhanced annuity. Many people do not even think about applying for an enhanced annuity but it can give that little bit extra to get you through the month.

An enhanced annuity, as an annuity option, is for people who smoke, are overweight, who are on prescription medication or have been recently hospitalised. You can also of course apply for an enhanced annuity if you have a chronic illness. With this option, because your life expectancy will be less, your annuity will be higher.

Not everyone will be granted an enhanced annuity, but it is well worthy applying. You will also have to decide whether you want to take an annuity as a single person, or with your spouse or partner. And within this option there are a few more to explore. With an annuity there are many choices, not only what annuity provider you choose to go with but also the various annuity options that are also available. This is so that you can get the most out of your savings, and so that you will have financial stability well into your retirement.