The following are excerpts from a Barron’s article titled, “Top 50 Annuities for 2016,” by Karen Hube. AnnuityAdvantage.com is referenced as a Source for the article.
Barron’s compiled a list of 50 of the most competitive, top-rated annuities as of the start of this month. We looked for products with high payouts or rates and reasonable fees, based on assumptions about age, amount invested, and time periods. It’s important to note that annuities are extremely fickle products, and a change in assumptions can produce very different results. Insurers also change their offerings frequently.
Annuities have two basic functions: to accumulate assets on a tax-deferred basis (as with an individual retirement account, you can’t tap the assets without penalty until age 59½), or to turn a lump sum into a guaranteed lifelong income stream. They can have variable or fixed rates of return, principal protections, income guarantees, liquidity options, income for long-term care needs, and varying death benefits, along with other cogs and levers that impact their function and cost.
Investors looking for guaranteed income have three main choices: an income annuity—the most basic option—or either a fixed-indexed or variable annuity with a lifetime income rider.
To view the complete list of annuities selected for this article, go here:
https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/Top50Annuities.pdf
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