Dave Ramsey strongly advises against purchasing most annuities, particularly fixed and fixed index annuities, calling them poor investments with high fees, low returns, and restrictive surrender charges. He argues that mutual funds generally provide better long-term growth and that the risks associated with annuities outweigh their benefits.
Yep—if you want to get your hands on the money you've put into an annuity, it'll cost you. That's a big reason why we don't recommend annuities. Remember, annuities are basically an insurance product where you transfer the risk of outliving the money you've saved for retirement over to an insurance company.
Dave: "An annuity is a life insurance company product. It's a savings account with a life insurance company." Dave simplifies annuities as savings accounts, but that's only true for certain types, like MYGAs.
With annuities, you transfer the risk to the life insurance company that issues the product. You are transferring the risk for the primary four things that make up my acronym PILL, which I created and trademarked. Those are the four reasons annuities exist.
Annuities May not Protect Your Investment
According to the SEC, investors purchasing an annuity connected with a 401(k) plan or IRA receive no tax advantage. The SEC notes that those who withdraw funds from a variable annuity before the age of 59 1/2 may be charged a 10 percent federal tax.
Why buying an annuity at age 70 could make sense. If you're seeking guaranteed income you can't outlive, an annuity offers just that. The older you are when you buy an immediate or deferred income annuity, the larger your monthly payments tend to be.
Immediate annuities might be an option if you want an instant source of income during retirement. However, payments start right away, so there isn't much time for interest to build up. For a 65-year-old retired male, a $300,000 immediate lifetime annuity would pay between $1,800 and $2,000 monthly.
Annuities offer tax-deferred growth, but taxes are eventually owed on withdrawals. Qualified annuities (pre-tax funds) are fully taxable upon withdrawal. Nonqualified annuities (after-tax funds) involve taxing earnings before original contributions.
And to go one step further, we recommend dividing your mutual fund investments equally between four types of funds: growth and income, growth, aggressive growth, and international.
So, many wealthy people use annuities to protect themselves in our litigious world, but they also buy them for lifetime income streams. Many rich people buy annuities for their spouses, kids, or grandkids.
That's why we recommend investing 25% of your retirement portfolio in growth and income mutual funds, which usually contain a blend of growth and value stocks to provide a stable foundation for your portfolio.
Some financial advisors promote annuities because they offer tax deferral, guaranteed income, or principal protection. But while these features can support retirement planning, annuities often carry high fees and commissions that can influence recommendations.
The "annuity 5-year rule" generally refers to the IRS requirement for non-spouse beneficiaries to withdraw the entire balance of an inherited nonqualified annuity by the end of the fifth year after the original owner's death, offering tax flexibility to spread out income. While you can take distributions anytime within that 5-year window, the full amount must be gone by the deadline, or penalties/taxes can apply. Spouses have more options, like becoming the new owner, while the 10-year rule (from the SECURE Act) now applies to many "eligible designated beneficiaries," but the 5-year rule still governs older contracts or specific situations.
A $100,000 annuity can generate $580 to $859 per month, depending on your age, gender, and whether you choose single or joint lifetime income. Older buyers receive higher payments because insurers expect to pay for fewer years, and joint annuities pay less because they cover two lives.
Contributions into these accounts remain tax-deferred and will be subject to income taxes in the year withdrawals or payments are received. Annuities funded with qualified money are subject to normal required minimum distributions (RMDs) at age 73, unless the contracts are annuitized.
Whether a 401(k), IRA, personal portfolio, or a mix of strategies is better than an annuity depends on your financial goals, risk tolerance and income needs. Most retirees will benefit from a diversified approach that combines different income sources for flexibility and security.
Here are some of the reasons why you may want to think twice before you buy an annuity.