Understanding Fixed Annuities

Understanding Fixed Annuities

Fixed annuities are known to stabilize income from the investments you make and are generally used by people who are nearing their retirement life or have retired. It is, therefore, important that you invest in the best fixed annuities as you will then receive a set amount of income until a regular interval until the period has ended.

There are numerous advantages and disadvantages of purchasing a fixed annuity. Below are listed the types of fixed annuities along with their advantages and disadvantages. You can, therefore, choose one of the best fixed annuities that match your aspiration if you are living in the United States.

Assured Edge Income Builder

This is one of the best fixed annuity plans as it gives the flexibility to choose the time span when you wish to start receiving guaranteed lifetime income. This can begin even when you turn 50 and can continue for as long as you live.

American Pathway Solutions Annuity

This can also be considered as one the best fixed annuity plans as it helps reduce the uncertainty and has the ability to earn guaranteed initial interest rate for the term it has been selected. The annuity plan comes with an income option which lets the contract balance get converted into guaranteed income for the lifetime.

American Pathway Fixed 5 and Fixed 7 Annuities

This is another of the fixed annuity plans which, regardless of the economic condition of the person, guarantees the annuity to be renewed at the minimum interest rate. The initial interest rate in this fixed annuities plan can be guaranteed on a single premium for one, three, or five years.

If you are thinking about investing in one of the best fixed annuity plans in the country, you can check out numerous online resources.

Benefits of fixed annuities

Fixed annuities are known to offer safe but low returns. However, still many people prefer these due to multiple reasons, some of which have been listed below.

Safety

If you decide to buy a fixed annuities plan and hold it for the entire term, it can be considered as a safe way to grow your money. It is considered safe than investing in a bond or shares in any of bond fund as the price of the bond can fall due to an increase in interest rate.

Tax deferral

Annuities also grow into tax-deferred plans. On these plans, which are sometimes regarded as best fixed annuities, interest can be earned every year but no kind of taxes is applicable to these plans. The advantages are imminent and the savings grow at a faster pace in comparison to the scenario where the gains would have been taxed every year.

Stable returns

When a person purchases a fixed annuity plan, the annual interest rate is already known to the person and the exact worth of the investment which they might get at end of the plan. If no regular withdrawals are made, the results are always predictable.

Higher returns when the bond yield curve gets steep

Benefits trigger when fixed annuities end. You are likely to get a steep bond-yield curve in situations when bonds of longer maturity take shape firmly. This will always be more in comparison to a situation when bonds of shorter maturities take shape. Fixed annuities often end up paying higher returns and the person making the investment often benefits from the plan.

Have the option to annuitize

Similar to other annuity contracts, fixed annuities can always be converted to a retirement income plan. This is the defining feature of annuities, and only a few people know about the same.

Risks associated with fixed annuities

It is also important to understand the risks associated with fixed annuity plans.

Spending power risk

Any of the social security retirement benefits come with the adjustments to the cost of living. However, fixed annuities do not have so. Thus, the spending power risk does come along with annuity plans as inflation increases. Annuity plans do come with inflation protection but such plans cost more and, therefore, people purchase cheaper annuity plans often leaving themselves exposed to the increasing incidence of inflation.

Death and survivorship risk

In any of the fixed annuity plans, once the annuity turns over a lump-sum premium to the company providing the insurance, the same will not be returned. The person who has taken this annuity could die and the insurance company is not legally bound to return the balance amount back to the family of the deceased. The solution, in such cases, could be opting for a joint life annuity plan which is often considered among best fixed annuities plan but only a few people pay attention to this fact.

Ensure to consider these points before making any investment in fixed annuities and you could benefit well from these throughout your life.

Related Reading

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Most of the dogs do not have a food fuss and may eat almost anything that you feed them. Dogs are not choosy at all when it comes to food and nutrition. Hence, it is important to make sure that the food that you are purchasing for your dog is healthy. The landscape of dog food has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent times. There is a wide variety of options to choose from in the online and offline market. Given the wide range of options that are available today, buying the best dog food might seem to be a confusing task indeed. All the commercial pet food that is available in the market today is regulated by the FDA. Therefore, most of the products do contain nutritious, healthy, and safe ingredients. But it does help to know certain basic factors you should look for while buying food for your dog. Prioritize on the nutritional guarantee The best dog food, which meets the dog’s needs adequately has a statement written on the label of the product, from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Buy from some of the best dog food brands, such as Fromm Family Foods, Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and The Honest Kitchen.
Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

The most important aspect when designing your kitchen is deciding on the type of cabinets. In addition to functionality, kitchen cabinets score on aesthetics as well. Once the layout is planned, you can go ahead with choosing the cabinets. If you’re remodeling your home or just the kitchen, what you need to consider are the types of cabinets that furnish your kitchen. Here are a few types of kitchen cabinets that you can choose from. Base cabinets These kitchen cabinets are mounted on the floor and they are placed after checking out the floor plan. A major part of your job in the kitchen is on these base cabinets, which hold and support the countertops. These base cabinets are combined to carve out kitchen islands. A number of base cabinets are fused/set against one another and installed on site. The base cabinets, in addition to supporting the countertops, serve as drawers to hold your cutlery and appliances. Wall cabinets Mounted on the walls, these cabinets can store everything, right from your cookware to cookbooks. In terms of design, they offer utmost flexibility. Wall cabinet kitchen is available in varying heights, multiple widths, and custom depth options. This customization helps you to fit in your stuff of varying shapes and sizes into the wall cabinets.
How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

In today’s world, where you are presented with over a dozen choices for every item you would purchase for your own kitchen, it is not surprising that you have an equal number of options for your dog’s food. However, choosing the perfect brand and formula for your dog out of a range of options in the market is not an easy job. Your pet depends on you and trusts you to make the right choice for them. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research about the products available in the market, understand what your dog needs, know what might be your pet’s problems, and then make a sound decision. What is a sensitive stomach? Dogs are known to have voracious and large appetites. Keeping that in mind, it is normal to assume that they have strong stomachs. They can eat close to anything be it sweets, bakes, chewy gum, hard leather or even woolen socks for that matter! It always so happens that the strongest of them are prone to allergies and can develop a disorder which is medically translated as a sensitive stomach. This might be due to a sudden change in the food habits or even due an infection picked up from somewhere.
All You Need to Know about Cat Food

All You Need to Know about Cat Food

For cat owners, cat food is a hot topic. You need to think about it in different aspects. The best thing is to know which ingredients are good for cat food and which are harmful. If you are aware of this, you can get an idea about the quality of the cat food just by going through the label. It is always sensible to stick to one brand of cat food. However, you may also want to try and prepare cat food yourself. There are also various options for wet cat food as well. Cat’s love for fish is universal, so you can do without going for expensive cat food. Nevertheless, whether you buy it or prepare cat food at home, you need to ensure that the food contains enough nutrition and calories. You would need to have some idea about the ingredients that must be present in cat food and make a worthy selection for your cat. Basic ingredients present in good cat foods Cats need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and active; they need various vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oils. The following is a brief explanation of the basic ingredients that should be present in cat foods.