Although annuity sales are still seeing record highs, investor interest may eventually shift away from fixed-rate deferred annuities and towards other annuities products that have more growth ...

Immediate fixed annuities and deferred fixed annuities are finding a growing market in the wake of the financial market meltdown. It’s no wonder. Their guaranteed payout rates are more than 8 percent ...

A fixed annuity provides a guaranteed income stream. Payouts can be immediate or deferred. Drawbacks include limited upside. Annuities can help ensure your retirement savings last your entire life.

A deferred annuity is a long-term contract with an insurance company that provides future income–often for life–in exchange for premium payments, with options like fixed, variable, and indexed types ...

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

An annuity can provide you with a steady stream of income, ensuring that you have money when you need it. That’s why many people turn to annuities during retirement, to be sure that they have cash ...

Fixed annuities and certificates of deposit (CDs) are both low-risk savings vehicles that provide guaranteed returns, but they work in different ways. A CD locks in funds for a set period at a fixed ...

A “fixed annuity” is an annuity contract in which the value is reckoned in fixed units (in the U.S., U.S. dollars). By contrast, the value of a “variable” annuity is determined by the dollar value of ...

A fixed deferred annuity is a deferred annuity (i.e., one in which regular annuity payments may be deferred), the value of which is represented in fixed units (U.S. Dollars) rather than variable units ...

This article is part one in a series of articles, explaining the basic product features of several types of annuities. This first piece in the series focuses on traditional fixed deferred annuities.

Laurie Sepulveda is a MarketWatch Guides team senior writer who specializes in writing about personal loans, home equity loans, mortgages and banking. She lives in North Carolina and has taught and ...