The cash an annuity can generate depends on a wide number of factors, from how the economy is performing, to the various riders which were added to it. However, one of the most important factors that is taken into consideration when selling an annuity, is the payment structure you’ve chosen.
There are literally thousands of different varieties of annuity products and contracts. However, most annuities fall into one of the following general categories of payment structure:
Fixed Annuities
Periodic payment from a fixed annuity is the same for the duration of the term, and is usually funded by a stable rate of interest from the insurer.
Variable Annuities
Variable annuities are funded by investments that are more prone to fluctuation, such as stocks and bonds. As a result, the periodic payments can vary over time.
The payment structure of your annuity plays a major role in determining whether or not we can purchase your annuity and the amount of the cash lump sum you’re we can offer you. For more information on how your repayment structure will affect your annuity payment sale, get in touch with one of our representatives.
Guaranteed vs. Life Contingent Annuities
Guaranteed payments will go to your beneficiary in the event that you pass away before all your guaranteed payments are made. Life-contingent payments will only be made as long as you are living. We can purchase both types of payments.
Annuity Riders
Along with payment structure, cash out options are also determined by specific riders that have been put in place on your annuity. Like a traditional insurance policy, riders can be added to your annuity. These modify the basic agreement, expanding or restricting the policy to give it the coverage and terms you want.
Medical Annuity Riders
A medical rider changes the scope of your annuity based on health or life events, providing additional benefits should the unexpected occur. Some common medical riders include:
- Death Benefits: In many cases, annuity payout is life contingent, meaning that the insurance company only continues payments for as long as the purchaser is living. A death benefit rider lets your family continue receiving installment payments, or accept the balance of your investment in the form of a cash payout.
- Long Term Care: This rider allows you to access the balance of your investment if you’re transferred to an assisted living community.
- Impaired Risk: If you contract an illness that substantially reduces your life expectancy, an impaired risk rider may increase the monthly payout in the annuity.
- Terminal Illness: In the event of a terminal illness diagnosis, this rider allows you to access a portion or even the remainder of your premium, likely without paying any surrender penalties.
- Unemployment and Disability: Like the terminal illness rider, if you suffer a disability or lose your job, this rider will give you access to your premium. The provider will likely cancel all buy-back fees.
Financial Annuity Riders
Unlike medical riders, financial modifiers adjust your payments due to external factors, such as inflation. These riders can modify the repayment terms, or allow you to access all or a portion of the remaining premium.. Each insurance company will offer their own list of financial annuity riders, but some of the most popular include:
- Inflation Adjustment: One potential downfall of a fixed annuity is that the purchasing power of a dollar tends to decrease over time. An inflation-adjusted annuity automatically increases the monthly payment to attempt to compensate for this.
- Commuted Payout: Adding a commuted payout rider to an immediate annuity allows you to withdrawal a lump sum should an unexpected need arise. In most cases, this is a time-limited rider, only available during the first few years of payments.
- Variable-Only Riders: Often used to supplement retirement income, a variable annuity gives your investment the best chance of growing, but also comes with certain financial risks like investing in stocks and bonds. To help mitigate the risk, many insurance companies offer special riders:
- Guaranteed Minimum Accumulation Benefit: If, after the growth phase of your annuity, the total value is less than the total premium paid into it, a GMAB rider will adjust the balance to equal the premium, less any withdrawals made.
- Guaranteed Minimum Income Benefit: The GMIB rider allows for a minimum monthly payment regardless of the performance of your annuity.
- Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefit: Typically, you have to convert a variable annuity to an immediate fixed annuity to receive an annual income for the rest of your life. The GLWB rider will allow you to draw on your variable annuity without converting it.
Benefits of Selling Annuity Payments
Life is unpredictable, and what made financial sense when you purchased your annuity might not be best for your today’s reality. Perhaps debt is hurting your credit score, you need instant access to cash to pay medical bills, or you want to make a sound investment like a house or education. Selling your annuity payments for lump sums opens the possibilities and places your financial future in your hands.
resource http://www.peachtreefinancial.com/our-solutions/annuities.aspx
resource http://www.peachtreefinancial.com/our-solutions/annuities.aspx
