Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. Dr. Melody Bell is a personal finance expert, entrepreneur, educator, and researcher. Melody ...

An annuity is an insurance contract you purchase to receive payments for a specific period, such as 30 years, or for the rest of your life. By applying a mathematical formula consisting of variables ...

Investopedia contributors come from a range of backgrounds, and over 25 years there have been thousands of expert writers and editors who have contributed. Investopedia / Hilary Allison The present ...

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 ...

A deferred annuity is a long-term investment that grows tax-deferred and provides income in retirement. Interest earnings accumulate without immediate taxes, allowing savings to grow. Taxes are paid ...

As part of your retirement planning, you may have invested in a deferred annuity. And, hopefully, over the years you’ve enjoyed tax deferred growth in the contract. The annuity may be a fixed annuity, ...

An annuity is a financial product that provides a stream of income over a set period. Annuities are often used in retirement planning as a way to generate income from a lump sum investment. However, ...

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 ...

Annuities are an integral part of the retirement portfolios of investors who want a guaranteed stream of retirement income. A deferred annuity is a contract that provides the buyer with a steady ...