Variable annuities are used to provide lifetime income in retirement. They allow unlimited contributions and can make payments that fluctuate until death. In that sense, an annuity can function like a self-made pension. You contribute money to the contract, and later you can choose to receive payments for life.
Contributions (often called premium payments) can be made as periodic payments or as a lump sum. Variable annuities are generally considered non-qualified retirement plans*, so contributions are not tax-deductible (there’s no tax benefit just for contributing).
Two broad annuity types are immediate and deferred. The difference is how long the accumulation phase lasts (how much time you have to contribute and build value before taking income).
*You should assume variable annuities are generally non-qualified, but it’s possible to roll over qualified funds into an annuity. In turn, this creates a qualified annuity. We’ll learn more about this below.
If someone has a large sum of money at or near retirement, they can start lifetime annuity payments quickly, without a long accumulation phase. This is an immediate annuity: the insurance company accepts a lump sum and begins retirement income soon after.
If the lump sum is paid in one deposit, it may be called a single premium immediate annuity. For example, an investor deposits $1 million into an immediate variable annuity and begins receiving monthly payments starting at $2,500. Those payments then fluctuate based on the investment performance of the separate account (discussed below).
As with most financial choices, there are tradeoffs:
Immediate annuity benefits
Immediate annuity risks
*The inaccessibility of the lump sum only becomes an issue if the investor needs more money than they’re receiving in their annuity payments.
**An annuity typically stops making payments once the account owner dies. For example, assume an investor deposits $1 million into an immediate annuity in return for average monthly payments starting at $2,500. If they were to pass away after one year, the investor would’ve only received roughly $30,000 in total payments ($2,500 x 12 months). Exchanging $1 million for $30,000 of payments obviously represents an incredible loss. This is one of the primary risks investors face with annuities.
Deferred annuities are designed to grow assets over time before income begins. For example, assume an investor contributes $2,000 per month to a deferred variable annuity starting at age 40. By age 60, they would’ve contributed $480,000 ($2,000 x 12 months x 20 years). Because contributions are invested, the account could grow beyond the amount contributed - say, to $1 million.
In retirement, the investor may annuitize the contract, which means giving up control of the $1 million to the insurance company in exchange for monthly payments for life.
Deferred annuity benefits
Deferred annuity risks
*Deferred annuities are not required to be annuitized. We’ll learn more about this below.
Regardless of annuity type, there are two general phases:
The accumulation phase is when money is contributed and invested. This phase could last a day (immediate annuity) or several decades (deferred annuity).
During the accumulation phase, contributions go into a “separate” account. It’s called “separate” because it’s kept separate from the insurance company’s own assets and capital. When a contribution goes into the separate account, the investor buys accumulation units. Like shares of stock, accumulation units measure the investor’s ownership and help track their basis (the amount invested). Each new contribution purchases additional accumulation units. In general, the more accumulation units an investor owns, the larger their investment.
The investor controls the separate account and chooses how the money is invested. The contract typically offers diversified portfolios of stocks, bonds, and other products that are similar to mutual funds. The investor’s choices (and risk level) strongly affect returns.
Assets in the separate account grow tax-deferred, similar to other retirement plans. Dividends and capital gains aren’t taxed until a distribution is taken (often in retirement). During the accumulation phase, income received in the separate account must be reinvested.
Variable annuities also follow many of the same rules as other retirement plans. Investors generally must wait until age 59 ½ to withdraw funds, and withdrawals before then are typically subject to a 10% penalty.
Variable annuities typically provide a death benefit that applies only during the accumulation phase. This benefit applies if the account owner dies before annuitizing the contract (before electing lifetime payments).
For example, assume a 30-year-old contributes $500 per month and plans to continue until age 60. They pass away unexpectedly at age 50 after contributing $120,000 over 20 years ($500 per month x 12 months x 20 years). The death benefit guarantees payment to the listed beneficiary. Specifically, the beneficiary receives the greater of:
Continuing the example, assume the separate account performed poorly and the account value is $100,000 at death. The beneficiary would receive $120,000 (the basis). This ensures that, if the owner dies before taking funds out, at least the original contributions are returned regardless of investment performance.
If the investments performed well, the beneficiary receives the current account value. Using the same $120,000 basis, assume the account grew to $200,000. The beneficiary would receive $200,000.
When an investor is ready to take money from a variable annuity, they enter the distribution phase. At that point, they can:
When distributions are taken, only the growth is taxable. Contributions (basis) are made after-tax, so they aren’t taxed again. For example, if an investor contributed $50,000 and the account grew to $75,000, only the $25,000 of growth is taxable as ordinary income.
If a lump sum or periodic withdrawal is taken from a deferred annuity*, the investor is not guaranteed income for life. If enough money is withdrawn, the separate account will eventually be depleted. Investors who are concerned about outliving their assets generally avoid these payout options.
*We are not discussing this option with an immediate annuity because they are almost always annuitized (payments for life). Otherwise, an investor with a large lump sum would be better off placing those funds in a brokerage account, investing what they didn’t need, and taking distributions as needed.
If an investor wants guaranteed income for life, they annuitize the contract. Annuitization means giving up ownership of the separate account in exchange for lifetime payments. When an investor annuitizes, their accumulation units convert into a fixed number of annuity units. The value of those annuity units depends on the performance of the separate account, which directly affects future payouts.
Annuity payments are typically made monthly. The first payout is predetermined based on the annuitization structure (discussed later in this section). After the first payout, future payments depend on the performance of the separate account.
When an investor annuitizes, they’re given an assumed interest rate (AIR). The AIR is a conservative estimate of the separate account’s projected growth.
The separate account’s performance is continually compared to the AIR. Assume the AIR is 3% (annualized):
This is why these annuities are considered “variable.”
There are three specific annuitization structures to know. First, the investor can choose a straight life annuitization, which pays for life. After the investor dies, payments stop and the insurance company keeps the assets in the separate account. Depending on how long the investor lives, the return may be favorable or unfavorable.
Assume an investor chooses a straight life annuity when their separate account is worth $200,000. If they pass away one month later after receiving one $1,000 payment, the insurance company makes a profit of $199,000. In that case, the insurance company “wins.”
It can also go the other way. The investor could live much longer than expected and receive total payouts of $450,000, which would mean the investor “wins.”
Because payouts depend on how long the investor lives, insurance companies often require medical history and/or a medical exam. That information is reviewed by an actuary, who estimates life expectancy. The insurance company then sets payouts based on that estimate.
Those estimates aren’t always correct. If an investor lives longer than expected, the insurance company must continue payments until death. This is longevity risk - a risk to the insurance company, but a valuable guarantee to the investor. Pensions face this same risk.
For investors who want to reduce the risk of “dying too soon” under a straight life annuity, a common alternative is life with period certain. For example, with a 10-year period certain, payments are guaranteed for life, but if the investor dies within 10 years, payments continue to the beneficiary for the remainder of the 10-year period. If the investor dies after 8 years, the beneficiary receives 2 more years of payments.
Because the investor has more protection, life with period certain annuities typically have lower payouts than straight life annuities.
Primarily used by married couples, there is also a ‘joint with last survivor’ annuitization. This structure pays two account owners until both have died. After the first annuitant dies, payments are typically reduced.
Investors may also choose a unit refund annuitization. This structure pays for life, but “refunds” the beneficiary if the annuitant dies before receiving their basis.
For example, assume an investor contributes $100,000, annuitizes the contract, and then dies after receiving $70,000 in payments. The remaining $30,000 is paid to the beneficiary, either as a lump sum or on a payment schedule (depending on the annuity’s structure).
Now that you understand a variable annuity, we can briefly compare it to a fixed annuity. You shouldn’t expect many test questions on fixed annuities because a fixed annuity is not considered a security. The key reason is that the investor does not take on investment-related risk (for example, market risk).
With a fixed annuity, contributions go into the insurance company’s general account, not a separate account controlled by the investor. The insurance company invests the funds and guarantees a (typically low) rate of return (for example, 3%).
Compared with a variable annuity, there are pros and cons.
The pros: money grows at a guaranteed rate of return, and the investor doesn’t have to manage investment-related risks like market risk or interest rate risk. For conservative, risk-averse investors, this can be an appealing retirement option.
The cons: variable annuities may grow more over time (more risk, more return potential), and the fixed rate of return is especially exposed to inflation (purchasing power) risk. Any investment with a fixed rate of return faces this risk. If prices rise faster (in percentage terms) than the guaranteed rate of return, the investor is effectively losing purchasing power. :::
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