Lump Sum Annuity
March 13th, 2010Retirement 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.