Learn what annuities are, how fixed, variable, indexed, immediate, and deferred annuities work, and how they can help provide steady retirement income.

An annuity is an insurance product. It provides a long-term stream of income in exchange for an upfront premium. There are many types, including immediate, deferred, fixed, variable and indexed.

What Is a Life Insurance Annuity? A life insurance annuity is a unique product that combines life insurance and an annuity. It is essentially a contract between an individual and an insurance company ...

Choosing how to ensure financial stability and security in your later years is one of the most important decisions you can make when planning for retirement. An annuity, however, can be essential in ...

An annuity can help you save for retirement and has favorable tax benefits. Experts caution that annuities can be complex and risky, carry high fees and are difficult to cancel. Some alternatives to ...

There are two pretty entrenched camps on indexed universal life and annuities. And those two camps don’t seem to like each other very much. I wouldn’t classify the conflict on the level of the ...

Adam B. Frankel is a personal finance writer and financial adviser with over 30 years of experience. When he’s not managing money in the stock market, he teaches financial topics and other core ...

Americans are worried about running out of money in retirement. A recent survey by the Alliance for Lifetime Income found ...

Laurie Sepulveda is a MarketWatch Guides team senior writer who specializes in writing about personal loans, home equity loans, mortgages and banking. She lives in North Carolina and has taught and ...

Discover how state guaranty funds protect you if your insurance company fails and what steps you can take for additional ...

Suitability standards for life insurance and annuities haven't stood still. They've been revised and reinterpreted over time.