Annuity Topic Guide
Annuity Buyer Guides
Learn how to evaluate suitability, liquidity needs, agent compensation, product illustrations, replacement concerns, and whether the annuity fits your goals.
Key planning points
- Suitability checks before selecting a contract
- Liquidity and replacement-risk review checklist
- How to align product structure with goals and constraints
Related annuity guides
Annuity Questions Checklist
Key questions to ask about liquidity, contract terms, and income features before purchasing.
Download ResourceHelpful calculators
Annuity Payout Calculator
Run educational payout scenarios to compare potential retirement income approaches.
Use Annuity Payout CalculatorRetirement Income Calculator
Model retirement cash-flow durability with adjustable spending and withdrawal assumptions.
Use Retirement Income CalculatorExplore more annuity topics
Annuity Basics
Learn the core terms: fixed annuity, immediate vs deferred, accumulation phase, payout phase, owner, annuitant, and free-look period.
Safety & Guarantees
Understand guarantees, insurance company strength, state guaranty associations, market risk, inflation risk, and what is not FDIC insured.
Retirement Income
Explore lifetime income, joint lifetime payouts, annuitization, GLWB riders, and using annuities to cover retirement expenses.
Rates & Interest
Understand fixed annuity rates, initial rates, renewal rates, guaranteed minimum rates, and interest rate risk.
Annuity Taxes
Learn tax deferral, ordinary income taxation, early withdrawal tax penalties, IRA annuities, beneficiary taxation, and 1035 exchanges.
Surrender Charges
Understand surrender periods, free withdrawals, surrender charge schedules, MVA, early withdrawals, and liquidity tradeoffs.
Fixed Annuity vs CD
Compare fixed annuities and CDs across FDIC insurance, tax deferral, income guarantees, liquidity, surrender penalties, and time horizon.
Beneficiaries & Death Benefits
Understand death benefits, spousal continuation, period certain payouts, lifetime-only tradeoffs, and beneficiary planning.
This website provides educational information only and does not provide personalized financial, tax, legal, or Medicare plan advice. Annuity guarantees are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. Medicare plan availability, costs, and benefits may vary by state, carrier, plan, and personal circumstances. Not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.