An annuity is an insurance contract you purchase to receive payments for a specific period, such as 30 years, or for the rest of your life. By applying a mathematical formula consisting of variables ...

Here’s how the formula looks with a $100,000 one-time contribution for a fixed annuity, a 6% interest rate and a 10-year, 15-year or 20-year payout period. An annuity is a contract that helps ...

Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations. A variable annuity is a type of annuity pairing the growth potential of the stock market with the steady income offered by annuities.

It depends on the type of annuity and how your payouts are calculated. There are several different methods. You do have the option of naming a beneficiary on your annuity, and with certain types ...

Oscar Wong / Getty Images Most financial advisors will tell you that the best age for starting an income annuity is between 70 and 75, which allows for the maximum payout. However, only you can ...

An individual retirement annuity is an investment vehicle that is sold by insurance companies and works similarly to an individual retirement account (IRA). Individual retirement annuities can ...

Typically you should consider an annuity only after you have maxed out other tax-advantaged retirement investment vehicles, such as 401(k) plans and IRAs. If you have additional money to set aside ...