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

Annuities have become an increasingly popular option for people who want to diversify their retirement funds. With an annuity, you make investments and then receive money in a series of payments that ...

We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. But if you've started exploring your annuity options, you've likely run ...

Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. Roger Wohlner is an experienced financial writer, ghostwriter, and advisor with 20 years of ...

When saving for retirement, it’s common to have overlapping goals. Most of us want to save enough to generate a comfortable monthly income, avoid outliving our savings and leave something for our ...

A variable annuity is a form of annuity that provides consistently timed payments to the annuity holder in potentially varying amounts. A variable annuity is a type of annuity that provides periodic ...

Variable annuities can offer income in retirement and the potential for higher returns, but those perks come with trade-offs, including higher fees, limited liquidity and market risk. Before you ...

David Rodeck is a financial journalist based in New York City specializing in banking, investing and financial planning. Before writing full-time, David was a financial adviser and passed the Series 6 ...

A variable annuity is an insurance contract that invests in market-based subaccounts and grows tax-deferred. It may offer features like lifetime income guarantees or death benefits. These features ...

An annuity is a financial product that provides a stream of income over a set period. Annuities are often used in retirement planning as a way to generate income from a lump sum investment. However, ...

Annuities are often purchased to help secure a reliable stream of income in retirement. Life insurance companies are the primary provider of annuities. Each company on our list offers a variety of ...