Fixed Annuity

Annuity is an agreement between a person and a company to pay the decided amount of the payment in series or in the form of installments. These annuities are used by the insurance companies in their insurance contract, where the insurers are asked to pay the payments for their insurance deals. There are many kinds of annuities, but the main annuities amongst them are Fixed Annuity and variable annuity.

Let us know more about fixed annuity here.

Fixed annuity

A deal, where an annuitant is asked to make a payment for a specific period of time or for his whole life time is called fixed annuity. In other words, it is an insurance contract in which the insurance company makes fixed dollar payments to the annuitant for the term of contract, usually ranging for a longer period of time. In fixed annuity, the insurer or the annuitants are offered fixed payments with complete guarantee and security. Fixed Annuity is also called fixed dollar annuity.

Fixed annuity: A deeper insight

Fixed annuities are used by the people who want fixed income from their investments. Insurance company guarantees for both, the principal and the earnings. These kinds of investment schemes are helpful for the people who want to invest their balance as source of income. Fixed Annuities can be bought from the insurance companies or from the financial institutions, by paying the lump sum amount at the time of the deal or paying the amount in the form of installments, as agreed by the company. The money that is invested in installments continues to grow at its fixed rate in the period of annuitization.

Before purchasing a Fixed Annuity, it's necessary for you to remember an important point. You can often negotiate with the price of the products. The amount that the annuitant pays varies from one financial intermediary to another and also depends on the type of the product. So it's on you to look for the best deal for taking quick decision.

Types of fixed annuities

There are two main types of fixed annuities and they are:

  • Life time annuities: In life time annuity, the predetermined amount is payable to the annuitant at each period till the death of annuitant. The prices of the annuities are decided on the premium paid for the insurance components and the money invested in the annuity, so more the components, more will be the price of the annuity. There are different types of life time annuities like straight life annuities, substandard health annuity, life annuity with guaranteed term, or joint life annuity. These all types of annuities offer both, advantages and disadvantages to you. It's on you to decide and indulge in them.
  • Time certain annuities: It is different from lifetime annuity. In this annuity, you are paid at a fixed period of time. However, if the annuitant dies before the date of receiving the payment, the insurance company keeps the remainder as the insurance values. The disadvantage of this Annuity is that once the term ends, the income from the annuity is finished. This type of annuity is received by the people who want stable income from their investments.