Lump Sum Annuity

March 13th, 2010

Retirement is a part of every salaried person and much before his retirement he has to decide about his structured income after retirement. It is here that Lump Sum Annuity comes into picture.

This is how this scheme works. During the tenure of service, it is just and natural that every employee saves some money for his future. He has to invest these savings so that after his retirement, he gets some money every month which he can use for his day to day needs. To encourage the employee to save, some companies have instituted what is called as pension scheme. The employee, instead of investing his amount elsewhere can invest the amount with his employer who in turn would pay him Lump Sum Annuity. This Lump Sum Annuity is paid at a pre fixed percentage every month for the rest of the life of the employee. But the employee has to decide whether to invest with his employer or to withdraw the savings for better investment. Once this decision is taken, it is normally irrevocable.

Normally, the company pays him a predetermined percentage as Lump Sum Annuity. But, this Lump Sum Annuity or pension may diminish in terms of its intrinsic value. This is particularly true when there is inflation. Presuming that the inflation rate is 5% annually, in the next 10 years, the real value of Lump Sum Annuity would have substantially reduced. On the other hand, the investment market may be more favorable and investing in the open market could fetch more benefits than the Lump Sum Annuity. For example, investing in Shares could be more beneficial. But it has an element of risk with it. Unless the person is experienced in the operation of the stock market, this investment is not safe and such persons could opt for Lump Sum Annuity. There are also cases where the employee may find it necessary to withdraw the savings to pay his debts or law suits, medical expenses, etc. Therefore before opting for Lump Sum Annuity, the employee has to think carefully, and he should analyze the pros and cons. It is advisable that he should consult a financial planner.

In addition to this, there are many finance agencies and investment companies including banks who offer Lump Sum Annuity Plan at different rate structure. Some of these plans are also growth investment plans with assured Lump Sum Annuity in addition to some health coverage plans, etc. Some investment plans include payment of Lump Sum Annuity to the spouse or any other nominee either at the same rate or at a revised rate. As an alternative, some retired persons may prefer to invest the bulk in developing real estate property. This type of investment has one advantage; the real value of the property increases and at the same time, with proper planning he can get some returns from the investment made on real estate property if it is leased on monthly rent, etc. The return he gets as rent every month may even be equal to the Lump Sum Annuity which he would get from his employer.

On the part of the employer or the financial agency offering this Lump Sum Annuity, the amount is calculated using the estimates made by a qualified actuary. The actuary calculates taking the average life expectancy, growth rate of funds and many other factors into account before deciding on the Lump Sum Annuity which could be offered to the pensioner.

There is another category of people who are not really dependent on the Lump Sum Annuity for their retired life. Such retired persons may choose lump sum investment plan. In this plan, the person encashes his pension with some investment company. The company will pay a sum which is slightly less than the face value of the pension amount and the difference is the profit for the company. These amounts are normally invested in real estate or in franchise business. But, in this case, the pensioner should ensure that the return on the investment will cover the discount recovered by the company.

In all these investments, a wise decision is all that matters. But many people do not have thorough knowledge of the investment mechanism. They may not be aware of the financial market trend, the health of the financial institutions where investment is proposed to be made, etc. It is here that the role of financial advisers or investment advisers comes into play. They advise the investor on the appropriate investment plan so that the pensioner gets his Lump Sum Annuity or other appropriate investment plan. But it is the financial or investment adviser who can give the right type of advice depending on the need of the investor, his financial propriety, etc.

Deciding between lump sum annuity and structured annuity

July 24th, 2010

In order to learn about the safety of retirement payouts, it is essential to initially understand various retirement payouts like annuities. Annuities are somewhat of a merger between investment accounts and insurance. Annuities make use of the features of both these types. The reasons for which lump sum annuities are used tell us that they assist in saving money in the long run. Another reason for retirement payouts is because they offer insurance on the income in a given time period.

There are several ways in which lump sum annuities are offered. It is a combination of options and choices that have to be chosen from. Keeping the safety of the retirement payouts in mind there are many negative and positive sides of it. In a payout option money is offered in a structured manner which is also known as structured annuity payments over long period of time rather than in lump sum. There are many people who nowadays are accepting structured payments.

These payout options are designed especially to aid those people who are in need of such annuity payments. Lump sum annuities are usually preferred by those people who wish to get complete savings at one time and use it either for their business or buying a new house after the retirement. Annuity providers can assist the recipient in generating money through sale of periodic payments.

The monthly annuity programs guarantee you a particular amount of payment that you will get every month whereas lump sum payment is onetime payment. In your lump sum payment you also are subjected to pay taxes on it. The lump sum amount is beneficial for some when they have already planned their future and have made enough saving to use their lump sum annuity payment for starting a new business or purchasing any property or asset. It is money which is required for immediate use. Some people may not feel comfortable about structured annuity payments and thus choose lump sum annuity as a measure of maintaining extra cash at hand when starting a new business.

Financing your Retirement

July 16th, 2010

Most of the people spend their adult life working and therefore may not be worried much about their retirement. But as we progress we feel worried, therefore starting to save money at the right time becomes important. People who start saving for their retirement from an early age are able to live more comfortably and tension free. Make sure you enjoy the best retirement by following these steps:

Make plans for your finances and yourself. You have the power to make your decisions and what you will love to do in your free time. You should plan in advance what you would like to do when you will retire and all your friends will be gone or still working. You will be the best judge to figure out how you will be spending your saved money.

Take an inventory of what you have.

Well many would be confused about retiring partially or completely. This is something that can be confusing. You need a thorough calculation to see and check if you got sufficient liability insurance when you have your assets in your name.

Choose how you will live. It is also important to secure yourself against the unanticipated health problems. Securing yourself through insurance or planning your retirement plan ahead in time would definitely help you lead a tension free life in future.

There are several things that you may need once you retire, your necessities and lifestyle needs to stay the same so it is essential that you understand your concern well in advance. Choosing a pension option will be your wisest and safest decision to secure your future. The biggest thing to understand is the kind of retirement that you will have in future. If you wish to travel and explore different places then you wouldn’t want to spend a lot of money on a house. If you wish to continue with some hobby then you would want a good sized house with a hobby room or workshop. Therefore financing your retirement ahead in time will help you lead a peaceful and happy life.

Choosing between two forms of lump sum payouts

July 10th, 2010

One of the commonly asked question regarding structured settlements is to take monthly installments or lump sum payouts. There are pros and cons of both these situations and there isn’t any particular answer that applies to each person. It is important to have basic understanding of annuities, payout options and structured settlements beforehand.

Lump sum annuity

A lump sum annuity is the money that is due to you after deducting fees, tax and penalties. It is commonly given as an alternative to periodic payments but comes with few drawbacks. The option is usually used by contest or lottery winners in a lawsuit. The reason for which people choose for monthly payments is because there is a drastic difference in the money you get over the time and due to taxes.

However, the advantages can be sometime overshadowed by its disadvantages. This implies if you wish to invest in real estate or business but do not have enough cash available. Lump sum payments can provide you with instant cash and as a rule its better than getting the monthly payments.

Structured Settlement Annuity

Structured settlement annuity generally awards from lottery winnings or lawsuits. It pays you a particular fixed amount every month. Mostly the taxes on such money are already deducted so that you don’t keep on paying it every year. You can even increase or decrease your cash payout by filing a petition in the court.

It is actually dependent on the individual to decide what kind of payment he would like to have. Structured payment is helpful as you do not spend the entire amount in one go and save something for your future. Structured payment is sometime a part of settlement on paper and you may not get a chance to change it later.

The choice of choosing one out of the two mentioned payments is really dependent on your requirements, future plans and the time at which you wish you retire. You should consult tax consultants who will details you about all the taxes you wish to pay and also will tell you what you can do to ensure that you make the best use of your money.

What is annuity Investment?

July 2nd, 2010

Annuity investment is set up to pay for particular financial needs and expectations. For instance, huge sums of money received through inheritance, winning a jackpot, lottery or through a lawsuit can be used to meet the financial requirements at present whereas the sum of money grows continuously in value. Increasing your money is a great measure. It has been seen that people receiving money in inheritance spend it frivolously in a sort span of time. You can secure your large sum of money by investing in annuity. In an annuity investment plan, the money is spent through a fixed stream of income or it is deferred until a later period in life.

Annuity investment is made with insurance companies as an investment measure. There are 2 main types of annuity investments that you can make: fixed and variable annuity. A fixed annuity is designed to pay monthly installments to the investor which is designated to be detached for a particular span of time. For instance, a large money sum can be dispersed by making monthly payments over 5, 10 or 20 years annuity plans. The amount can also be deferred through monthly installments during a person’s retirement period. A fixed investment is advantageous because it preserves a large amount of money and allows the sum to grow in value while being used through monthly installments.

This is great way through which a person can save money for himself and secure his future without paying anything extra. This option is now available with all major insurance companies so that people with superfluous money can invest through it to secure their future.

The variable annuity investment is designed to offer the investor with an advantageous tax deferral on the lump sum earning of money. In this investment the person gets lifelong payments according to his life expectancy and also gives an insurance guarantee for provision of these payments. This kind of investment permits the lump sum of money to grow further through bond and stock investment while being used through a lifelong payment system. In the case of investor’s death, the remaining balance can be named to beneficiaries.

Structured settlements and its benefits

June 25th, 2010

None of us is aware of future and accidents are the worst thing that can happen to anyone. They can be serious and can even lead to death for some. You may not be able to work after your accident in some cases. It is essential to cover yourself against such unanticipated circumstances to secure the future of you and your family. The structured settlements are introduced as a welcome evaluation to assist people in surviving a certain period of time.

Let’s first understand what structured settlements are: it is a preplanned cash payment set up by an annuity program, started to assist in compensating the victim who is injured and suffers losses in an accident. Large settlements are given for a long time and the victim also enjoys special legislative treatment.

Structured settlements offer the beneficiary with a constant payout over the time he gets his pension to secure him from any kind of loss, hardship or difficulty of sustaining himself. One should understand that the structured settlements cannot provide for every accident that takes place. In case of accidents that does not involve any serious injuries or wounds and the victim is able to work normally after the treatment, this settlement will not help.

Structured settlements are designed to compensate for severe injuries that need long term treatment, where medical expenses and living costs expenses are required to be met over a long period of time. Some cases in which the policy would apply are:

Workman compensation in which an individual is not able to work at all or to his optimal efficiency is covered under structured settlements. In these cases his income is decreased which further effects his living standard.

In case of permanent or temporary disability a person can apply for structured settlements to get a financial assistance to support him.

Wrongful deaths where the surviving family has to suffer from financial constraints all of a sudden are also covered under structured settlements.

There are many benefits attached to structured settlements and includes a steady flow of income that is free of any tax deductions at both federal and state levels.

Books Detailing Retirement Plans

June 18th, 2010

There are many books that educate you about the about IRA 401 and many other retirement plans. There is a book by the name Nolo legal guide which helps the people know certain facts about retirement plans. Working class people are not able to save a lot of money during their life time and hence are dependent on their retirement pension. The book unleashes all the information about various types of retirement plans available.

In its chapter one, the books describes about various kinds of retirement plans. Also plans like stock bonus plans, profit sharing plans, money purchase pension plans are included. Individual retirement plans are about using and saving as much money you like by paying less tax on it. Also in order to invest in the best plan you need to be aware of all of them.

The second chapter includes overview of all the tax rules applicable. The third chapter in the book discusses early distributions and withdrawing your money before the law permits. The chapter informs you about the steps to take if you need retirement before the maturity period.

Chapter four of the book covers equal periodic payments. It gives information that one may need when applying for an early distribution. Chapter five of the book covers taking out money when you want to and things like special penalties, Roth IRA’s and waivers on your retirement plans.

Retirement plans are really necessary because they help people carry a secure life in the future. People who invest in retirement plan are actually wise because they are able to secure their future before they retire. They are able to collect enough funds to support themselves and their families before their retirement. They have a secure and guaranteed income and thus are able to keep their lifestyle as it is.

One can choose his retirement plan as per the savings he can make from it. The chapter 6 of the book will explain you about needed distributions during your lifetime. This is a great chapter for people who want to be familiar as how to begin taking money out from your plan.

If you are also interested in investing in an investment plan then you must definitely gather complete knowledge about it.

Injury Compensation

June 12th, 2010

Accidents cannot be controlled by us. They are natural and can happen anytime and to anyone. It may be because of natural disasters or due to the ignorance of humankind. But the victims of accidents in any case have to go through a lot of pain and agony. One may be injured to an extent that he is not able to work and earn enough income to support him or his family financially.

This may render a person unfit or incapable of working for a certain period of time or throughout the course of his life. Injury compensation is a compensation that a person can claim if he is unable to work and earn for himself. Personal injury refers to injury that has happened because of an accident.

Injury compensation provides financial assistance to the sufferer and provides him with enough funds to support and feed him. The amount and time of compensation may differ according to the seriousness of the injury and how much a person has been injured during the accident. A person who has received severe wounds is subjected to receive injury compensation till the time he is able to start earning again. The injury compensation that a person is liable to receive is governed by the state laws. The compensation received may differ from one state to another.

In order to make yourself eligible to get injury compensation you will have to hire a lawyer. He will dig deep into your case and look at the injury and wounds that you have received to determine if you would be eligible to get it or not. The case of the accident is thoroughly reviewed and also the negligence on the part of the victim is also considered before he becomes eligible to claim for injury compensation. There are lawyers who will provide you free consultation in such cases. He will intrigue you about the accident and may ask you some personal questions relating to your family as well.

As per the details provided by you and investigating the case thoroughly he would decide if you can claim for personal injury compensation or not.

Deciding variables on lump sum annuity

June 4th, 2010

Retirement is a phase that comes in the life of every person. We get old with time and strive to make enough savings to support ourselves financially in our old age. There are many important decisions that you need to make and among them the most important one is regarding lump sum annuity option. Well, you need to know if you wish to get your pension in one go or you want monthly installments at a fixed rate of interest.

If you choose to take it upfront then it is necessary that you manage your money well. You may be taking the upfront for buying a new house to stay with your wife after retirement or may be for some other financial security. Since you won’t be left with any pension amount after this therefore you will have to use it wisely.

It is necessary to have a stable income after retirement because it is a time when you enjoy and relax at home. With a stable income coming from lump sum annuity you do not have to worry about earning and running your household after retirement. If you choose to take entire lump sum amount at once then you must invest it wisely as you will be losing the power to earn after few years.

But if you decide to take it in the form of installments at a fixed rate of interest then you will not just have the security of definite income coming your way each month but also you will be able to secure your future. The interest rate in the current economic situation is very low so you will entitle yourself to receive such low rate of interest throughout your life. With a lump sum you can consider investment for a short-term till the time its rate increases. You will have to maintain some other form of income to support your expenses in such a scenario.

Annuity income that you receive every month is taxable. You need to pay tax on this income too. But if you are investing in IRA then you can withdraw a particular amount without paying any tax on it. Also the taxes that you pay in the IRA account will be lower than on annuity payments.

A structured settlement annuity does away with how and from where, the funds will come!

May 24th, 2010

In US injuries due to accidents are happening at a rate of ‘thousand a day’ and that frequency it seems is not going to slow down in the near future. How to settle the personal injury compensation claims, that arise as a result of an accident, to the maximum long term benefits of the injured or the victim of an accident, is something that has to be taken care of immediately. In the end it’s the financial part that matters the most and by giving the victim a just settlement monetarily, the insurance company mitigates to a huge extent a victims sufferings.

A structured settlement or a structured settlement annuity does a lot of good to the victim.

It restores the shattered confidence because now an accident victim is hopeful of receiving a fixed income, on a long term basis. This simply helps the injured to cope with the painful situation in a much better way. The accident victim is able to focus more on recovering from the injuries, and worries less on how the funds will come or from where the funds will come. This is one of the biggest assurance that an accident victim receives from a structured settlement.

The advantage that a structured settlement has is only one, which is that, it holds the hand of the victim at the time when he/she is in need of it the most. The injured victim may have to remain confined to a wheel chair for a long period or may become bed ridden, so may need constant nursing care. As long as the victim is recovering from the injuries, he/she cannot go back to work, and this period can stretch from a few weeks, to several months or years. This simply means that the victim is not in a position to pay for his/her care and also doesn’t have sufficient funds to fulfill some of the other obligations, like a child’s tuition fees, a car insurance, or a the installment of a home loan. Thus, what a structured settlement does is that it takes up the responsibility from the point where it has been left by the victim.

Structured settlement annuity assures the following:

A steady supply of funds to pay for food, housing and education, in case a victim dies in an accident and leaves behind a family.

A monthly income to the victim, in case he/or she remains away from work over a length of time.

Money to fund the health care expenses of a person who is injured and is recovering.

From the standpoint of victim structured settlement annuity, in reality, assures a slew of benefits.

Annuity an option retirees can execute to overcome their retirement blues!

May 15th, 2010

Retirement are those dark clouds that loom over an individual, when he/or she reaches the twilight of his/her career. It’s an eventuality that is limited to not only the salaried, but all those people who are engaged in some kind of a business. Most of all individuals like traders, shopkeepers, or anyone who has a small, fixed income are fearful of the prospect that a time will soon come when they’ll have to call it a day. They are aware of it that one day they’ll have to wind up what ever small or big business they are doing. That will be the time when they’ll finally retire from public life.

There is a certain age after which, you have to hang hang up your boots!

For an employed the age of retirement is fixed because as per service rules the tenure of office is fixed for the employees. Similarly, a person who is in a business, too cannot carry on for whole of the life. There is a certain age after which a person just cannot go any further, and has to accept the fact that he/or she will have to retire. These individuals are aware that after attaining a certain age they’ll have to hang up their boots, and then there will be no income to support their daily needs, expenses etc. Without an income the retired persons are completely dependent on their sons/ or daughters, and that is what they are afraid of, the most. The real reason why people fear getting retired is, because they know that after retirement they’ll lose their independence.

An Annuity gives retired people a reason to face the world boldly!

An Annuity is the one option which a retired person can execute, at the ripe time, and can overcome all their fears that they have about retirement. An Annuity gives retired people a reason to face the world boldly and bravely. It’s an Annuity that lends support to a person who will sooner or later, have to live without a job and a salary. Annuity makes comfortable the life of a person who is not young anymore and is unable to earn a livelihood. With the income that an Annuity produces, a person doesn’t merely survive but lives decently.

Investment based Annuities produce good income!

Although, there are a number of different types of Annuities, like the ones that a people retiring from the military or any other kind of employment get, but the ones that have a potential to produce good income for an individual are the investment based Annuities. In the investment category Life Insurance is a Annuity that is used the most. By investing in a Life Insurance Annuity plan people get to supplement their incomes in a big way. These plans ensure safety, as well as fixed income year on year. An Annuity plan secures the financial future of a person, and makes the person live with his/her “Head Held High”.