In return for investing a
portion of the annuity owner's retirement assets, the company promises it will pay that person a lifetime stream of income.
Living benefit riders allow for benefits to paid when applicable during the
life of an annuity owner or insurance policyholder.
For example, unlike life insurance and real estate investing, there is «no step up in basis» and there is income tax exposure for the estate upon the
death of the annuity owner.
The reason is that when insurance companies create an annuity, they pool the money of
thousands of annuity owners, some of whom will die sooner than others.
Longevity Insurance is an annuity that doesn't begin paying out until the owner is at an advanced age and is basically a form of an annuity
According to a recent Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) survey of Americans aged 50 - 66, a majority (53 %)
of annuity owners are extremely or very confident that they will have adequate income in retirement, compared to less than a third (31 %) of non-annuity owners who say the same.