Annuities are complex financial products. The annuity buying process should include detailed considerations that range beyond topics such as whether to buy an annuity and what type of annuity might make the most sense.
For example, as explained below annuities are tax advantaged products. Understanding the various aspects of these tax advantages is critical. Annuities also touch-on complicated areas such as trusts, estate planning and financial legacy.
Certain annuities can also have high fee structures while others are relatively inexpensive. You need to be aware of the differences and understand how some of the more expensive features might be of value to you.
Annuities also come with many optional features that need to be considered. For example, inflation protection is an important consideration in our current economic climate. The popular living benefit features that accompany variable annuities are also product options that should be analyzed on a cost-benefit basis.
While most of these issues are complicated and would typically be handled by financial advisors and tax experts, you should at least have a high-level understanding of the details in order to make informed decisions.
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