There's a lot of confusion about annuities as investments. Find out how you can keep things simple. Annuities are among the least understood financial products available to regular investors, and one ...

An annuity is a series of payments made or received over a predetermined period of time. The timing of those payments differs based on the type of annuity at hand. With an ordinary annuity, payments ...

The key difference between an ordinary annuity and an annuity due is when payments are made, which can affect the overall value. Ordinary annuity payments are made at the end of each period. Annuity ...

Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. Roger Wohlner is an experienced financial writer, ghostwriter, and advisor with 20 years of ...

But, I’m not referring to those examples. Instead, I’m referring to the insurance product. Why? Because Annuities are rising in popularity. LIMRA reports that total U.S. annuity sales increased 22% to ...

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 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.

Generally, annuities are financial contracts that provide the purchaser with a guaranteed income stream. Regular payments or a lump sum are both ways to invest in annuities. In return, the institution ...