Adding value to annuities.
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Annuities are designed to provide retirement income and help you meet your financial needs as you age.
Purchasing an annuity is a little like buying a car. They come in several varieties and have standard features (the base model), but you may want to add some bells and whistles to customize your ride to your liking.
Annuities are similar in that you can buy a basic annuity contract, but many annuities also offer add-onsâcalled ridersâto help tailor the annuity to your needs and desires.
Key Points
- An annuity rider is an add-on (such as a living or death benefit) to a basic annuity contract.
- Determine the total cost and whether there are limitations to the riderâs benefits.
- There may be less expensive ways to access similar benefits.
Annuities: The basic types
Annuity contracts come in several varieties. Some of the basic types include:
- Fixed annuities. These pay a fixed amount for the term of the annuity contract.
- Variable annuities. The benefit amounts vary depending on the performance of underlying investments.
- Immediate annuities. Payments begin for a specific period as soon as one month after the contract is signed.
- Deferred annuities. Payments start at least one year after the date of the signed contract and continue for a specific period.
- Indexed annuities. Benefit amounts are based in part on the performance of a stock index, such as the S&P 500.
Riders are annuity add-ons that can enhance the coverage or benefits of a given annuity contract to better meet your needs.
Benefits and drawbacks
Before you ponder adding riders to an annuity, make sure you understand these complex instruments by learning the pros and cons of annuities.
Living benefit riders provide benefits to the contract owner during their lifetime:
- Cost-of-living riders increase annuity payments to offset the impact of inflation. How often adjustments are made, and any limits on the amount of the increases, are defined in the rider.
- Long-term care riders boost the amount of the monthly payment to cover long-term care costs if needed.
- Disability income riders provide a payment for a specified period if the contract owner becomes disabled.
- Guaranteed minimum accumulation benefit (GMAB) riders ensure you wonât lose the principal (the amount you initially invested) in a variable annuity (in case its investments donât perform well, or even lose money).
- Guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefit (GMWB) riders guarantee a minimum stream of lifetime benefits based on the principal paid into a variable annuity, regardless of how its investments perform.
Another (complex) income instrument
Reverse mortgages are another financial product that can provide income in retirement. To qualify, homeowners must be at least 62 years old, and own their homes outright or have a minimal loan balance. Like annuities, reverse mortgages are complex and expensive and should be considered only by consumers who understand them. A financial advisor may be able to help.
Most annuity contracts include a death benefit thatâs paid to the contract ownerâs beneficiaries (typically family members). These benefits vary from contract to contract and from insurer to insurer. Death benefit riders allow contract owners to tailor the death benefit to their desires.
- Guaranteed death benefit riders typically pay out when the contract owner dies during the contract accumulation period. There may be a guaranteed death benefit, or the rider might allow a new annuitant to be named.
- Return of premium riders ensure that any remaining premiums left in the contract will be returned to the beneficiaries.
- Spousal protection riders provide a surviving spouse with either a lump-sum death benefit or the ability to assume ownership of the annuity.
Understanding the cost of the rider
As with any financial product, knowing how much the rider costs and how youâll pay for it is important. For example, the cost of the rider might be added to the annuityâs premium payment amount during the accumulation period. Or you might pay for it by reducing the annuitization amount (the regular payments you receive) or the amount of any lump-sum payouts.
Be sure to identify any out-of-pocket costs, what the coverage includes, and what might be limited or excluded from the rider.
Are annuity riders worth the cost?
Figure out whether an annuity rider is worth the cost by asking yourself a few questions:
- Do I need the benefit provided by the rider?
- Is the level of the benefit provided by the rider a good value?
- Does it have any limitations or exclusions?
- Is there another way to get this benefit thatâs either more comprehensive or more cost-effective?
To the last point, disability insurance, for example, is often available as a workplace benefit. These employer-sponsored policies may be cheaper than a disability rider and provide more comprehensive benefits. Similarly, a life insurance policy may offer a better, more cost-effective way to provide a death benefit to your loved ones.
Riders allow you to customize your annuity by adding features and benefits. They can include living benefits, such as long-term care or protection against inflation. Death benefit riders, in contrast, provide a payment to a spouse or other beneficiaries after you die.
Just be sure you understand the value a given rider provides relative to its cost before you add it to your annuity contract. And if the person or company selling you the annuity is unwilling to give you a full breakdownâin writingâitâs OK to take a step back, and get a second opinion from a trusted financial pro, before you sign.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Roger WohlnerThis article was most recently revised and updated by David Schepp
