Tontines: An Old Idea Revisited for Modern Retirement Challenges
A tontine is a pooled investment structure where a group of participants contributes money into a common fund. The fund then pays out income to its members, typically for life. As participants pass away, their share is redistributed among the surviving members, so the income for those who remain gradually rises. At its core, a […]
Understanding the Tax Impact of Funding a Fixed Annuity
When it comes to retirement income planning, annuities can serve as a powerful tool to convert savings into a predictable income stream, either for a lifetime or a specific period of time. With that said, the decision about what assets to use when funding an annuity (i.e., in a taxable brokerage account, a traditional pre-tax […]
Three Questions To Evaluate Longevity Risk For Retirees
Longevity risk—the risk of running out of assets before running out of time—is fundamental to retirement. We know about the distribution of longevity for the overall population, but an individual cannot know in advance precisely where he or she will fall in the distribution.
Does Your Mindset Affect How You Make Retirement Income Decisions?
The fields of behavioral finance and behavioral economics have uncovered various biases humans have which are great for day-to-day survival, but somewhat maladaptive for long-term investing.
Which Is Better for Retirement Income: Insurance or Investments?
Retirement planning experts have long debated the question: Which is better for retirement income: insurance or investments? Wade Pfau weighs in.
Annuity Pricing Sensitivity
With all of my discussions of annuities lately, it is worthwhile to also consider the sensitivity of annuity pricing to interest rates, gender and age-related mortality factors. Relationship Between Payout Rates and Interest Rates Figure 1 estimates the relationship between annuity payout rates and interest rates for 65-year old males, females, and opposite-gender couples with […]
Securing Longevity Insurance Through Income Annuities
I have published a few pieces in the past couple weeks on how income annuities are priced and used. Understanding how to use annuities can be a great benefit when planning for retirement. Let’s consider another possibility.
Annuity Pricing 102
In today’s scenario, we’ll see what happens to the price of an annuity if:
1. We guarantee income will be provided for at least 10 years, regardless of whether the annuitant lives.
2. We provide a cash refund if the annuitant dies before at least receiving their full principal payment.
3. We include a cost-of-living adjustment for annuity payments.
Income Annuity 101
How are different types of annuities priced? It’s not as hard as you might think, as the basic recipe requires just three ingredients:
Retirement Income Strategies with Annuities
Income annuities come in a variety of shapes and sizes. It can be overwhelming to know which one makes the most sense for your situation. In this column, I explore how income annuities work and what options are available.
