Annuity Living Benefits Many variable annuity contracts offer “living benefit” guarantees. For an additional cost, the contract holder may be able to purchase guarantees regardless of the account value. Adding a guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefit to a variable annuity contract... Read more
Split-Annuity Strategy A split-annuity strategy involves purchasing two types of annuity contracts: immediate and deferred. The immediate annuity would provide a current income stream during the early years of retirement, and the deferred annuity would have the potential to provide... Read more
Why Do People Buy Annuities? Annuities are insurance-based financial vehicles that can provide many benefits sought by retirement-minded investors. There are a number of reasons why people buy annuities. Deferral of taxes is a big benefit, and so is the ability to put large... Read more
What Is a 403(b) Plan? A 403(b) plan is a special tax-deferred retirement savings plan that is often referred to as a tax-sheltered annuity, a tax-deferred annuity, or a 403(b) annuity. It is similar to a 401(k), but only the... Read more
Money Purchase Pension Plans A money purchase plan is a type of defined-contribution plan that is similar to a profit-sharing plan, except that the contribution amounts are fixed rather than variable. Thus, employers are required to make annual contributions to... Read more
Profit-Sharing Plans David Wray, the president of the Plan Sponsor Council of America, once said that the purpose of profit-sharing plans is “to generate goodwill and a feeling of partnership” between employer and employee. Profit-sharing plans give employees a share... Read more
What Is a Roth 401(k)? The arena of employer-sponsored retirement plans has been dominated by 401(k) plans that are funded with pre-tax contributions, which effectively defers taxes until distributions begin. However, the recently created Roth 401(k) is funded with after-tax... Read more
What Is an IRA Rollover? If you leave a job or retire, you might want to transfer the money you’ve invested in one or more employer-sponsored retirement plans to an individual retirement account (IRA). An IRA rollover is an effective... Read more
What Is a “Stretch” IRA? Finding a method to leave a lasting legacy to your loved ones without increasing their tax burdens can be difficult and complicated. A “stretch” IRA may be a useful approach that can benefit your heirs... Read more
What Is a SIMPLE? There are many types of employer-sponsored retirement plans. One that may appeal to small businesses and to self-employed individuals is the savings incentive match plan for employees of small employers (SIMPLE) because, as the name implies,... Read more