Personal finance teaches that everyone should be fully vested in their IRA if they can afford it. An IRA represents the foundation of your individual retirement that should supplement your potential pension and Social Security income. Roth IRAs are funded with income that’s already been taxed. A traditional IRA is paid with income that has not been taxed and therefore will be taxed when the money is later returned with interest.

Individual Retirement Annuities can be bought within an IRA and will be subject to similar restrictions to IRAs. In 2020, the annual amount that can be paid to an individual retirement annuity is $6,000 for those under the age of 50. This is the same amount as an IRA.

Taxes apply to both in the same manner. The income that joins a growing individual annuity fund or individual retirement account can be pre-taxed income or post-taxed income. In this way, they can both provide tax-deferred income.

Both individual retirement accounts and annuities can be tied to stock market growth. Also, an IRA and an annuity both require their owner to wait a set period of time before they can begin receiving a payout—usually a specific age. The money can’t be touched for a certain length of time.

Annuities are owned and operated by insurance companies. IRAs involve mutual funds and other investment contributions that operate in the stock market. The only annuities that tie themselves to the stock market are variable annuities. A fixed annuity never touches the markets in the first place. It functions similarly to a bank CD. This is one of the hallmark differences between both products.

How money is made by the holder prior to payout is also different. In an IRA invested in stocks, a broker makes money from the invested money only when the money grows. They take a cut of the growth, incentivizing them to maximize growth in any way they can. With an annuity, the insurance company makes money by charging small fees on growing your money. Some feel the fees associated with annuities make them undesirable, however, guaranteed growth is not something other investments can offer.

An individual retirement annuity cannot be transferred or moved easily between individuals the way other investments can be. They’re inflexible. Even variable annuities that use the stock market to propel their growth cannot be transferred like stocks can be. This is because the agreement is with an insurance entity and not directly with stockbrokers who are authorized to move money as they see fit in the market.

IRAs can accrue for decades, but usually, an annuity lasts for 3-10 years before it ‘annuitizes’ and can be withdrawn from. When an annuity operates within an IRA they both run for the same duration. When you learn how their differences could impact your future earnings, you become free to make your own decisions based on the need you believe waits for you in retirement.

A major attraction investors find with annuities is that they offer tax-deferred income beyond what an IRA alone can. Unlike an IRA, there is no limit to the amount of income that can be placed in an annuity. Once the amount paid into an IRA is capped, additional income can be put into an annuity as tax-deferred income. This benefits individuals in higher tax brackets, but it is a perk of annuities nonetheless.

But what is an annuities tax rate? Annuities are not taxed until the money begins being withdrawn, assuming they come from a pre-tax source. The money acquired from an annuity will be recorded as income for the year in which the funds are withdrawn and taxed as a part of your total income for that year. The tax rate will be determined by the full amount of income reported.

Both an IRA and an individual retirement annuity hold part of your income until you reach a specific age at which point you are paid back the amount with interest. One of the main differences is who the money is growing through—a financial firm or insurance company. An IRA can involve a financial firm that determines where to help the money grow. An individual retirement annuity is a tax-deferred investment made with an insurance organization.

Another main difference between them is the type of investing. Unless an annuity is a variable-type annuity, it will not involve stocks. Variable annuities use the stock market to propel their growth, but they can also lose money as a result. An IRA will almost always involve stocks. Both types of retirement investments involve the same tax rules. If the income wasn’t taxed the year it was put in the investment, it will hit a tax on its way back to you.

What are annuities good for? A retirement annuity can be a great idea for anyone interested in securing guaranteed income upon retirement. As long as a person can avoid surrender charges, the investment is an excellent way to prepare for individual retirement. While some find the returns on a retirement annuity not as strong as the performance of a mutual fund or stock dividend, investment options tied to the stock market face more volatility than ever before.

If you don’t believe the stock market is the best place to invest and you’re interested in a secure, guaranteed source of income, an annuity makes sense. If you are looking to retire in the near future and want to protect your hard-won money from potential drops in the stock market, a fixed income annuity can be a comforting investment.

The amount an annuity pays depends on a variety of factors. How long did the money sit growing in an accruement phase? Will the recipient be a man or a woman? What is the age of the contract holder? Will the unpaid amount left in the annuity be paid to a beneficiary upon the death of the policyholder? All of these questions can change the monthly amount by a range of about twenty percent.

The other way to answer this question is to fill in the conditions and see what numbers emerge. Because fixed annuities operate outside of the stock market, their returns can be calculated with ease. Let’s say a man receives a retirement annuity, starting at age 60, he has no spouse involved in the payment. We’ll name him Bill. Bill begins withdrawals as the owner of this $100,000 annuity. Bill does not have a death benefit so if he dies before the annuity is exhausted the remainder will stay with the insurance company. Bill would receive $697 a month from his annuity. This amount would run for his lifetime. Not too shabby.

The only way to lose money in an annuity is to break the terms of the contract or purchase a variable annuity. If you withdraw money early, there will be a surrender penalty that must be paid on top of any unpaid taxes. A variable annuity can lose money because its growth is tied to the stock market which can fall. Because a fixed-type annuity is a guaranteed contract with the insurance provider, these are the only ways to lose money.

Many wonder whether they should trust an insurance company with their individual retirement. Think about it this way—what do you as an individual already trust an insurance company with? Your car? Your home? Your health? Insurance companies can feel like a necessary evil, but trusting them in many areas of your life is a necessary safety net. Retirement plans are also a safety net and one that insurance agencies can be trusted with.

Annuities are looking more attractive as ever as the world economy grows unpredictable. A great investment one day may fail due to events and economic realities in another part of the world. It’s a riskier time than ever to sink retirement funds into the open market, particularly if you intend on retiring in the near future.

For my money, I would consider annuities and other investment options together. Investing wisely means looking at reviews and diversifying where your assets go. A variety of contracts and distributions is required for solid investing strategies. Guarantees that come with individual retirement annuities make them a solid choice to have as part of an overall portfolio. Annuities are known for higher fees than mutual funds, but they also can’t lose any of your money if they’re a fixed annuity. Mutual funds can and do lose people’s money. So, yes, I would consider putting my retirement money into an annuity.