Annuities are contracts that offer steady income and are commonly used in re🍨tirement planning. However, no two retirees have identical needs, and many may require customized annuities to meet their personal financial goals. That's where annuity riders come in. 

These policyꦿ add-ons enable individuals to create an annuity that addresses their most pressing concerns, like: ♌Will I outlive my money? What happens if I die before I get all of my investment back? What if the market crashes? 

What Are Annuity Riders?

Annuity riders are optional add-ons to an annuity contract. Add-ons, like riders, enable ♐policyho🐼lders to tailor annuities to meet their unique financial needs. 

While base annuities provide 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:guaranteed income for a specified period, riders help addr𒅌ess specific risks, such as market downturns, inflation, premature death, or long-term care needs.♚ 

Types of Annuity Riders

Living Benefit Riders

Living benefit riders provide benefits while the annuitant is alive. These protections ꦅensure that the annuitant does not outlive their income, regardless of market performaไnce or life expectancy. 

The two primary living benefit riders are guaranteed minimum income benefit (GMIB) and 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体🎀彩网:guaranteed lifeti🐓me withdrawal benefit (GLWB). The guaranteed minimum income benefit ensures the annuitant receives a lifetime income, regardless of market performance. A guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit allows the annuitant to withdraw a set percentage each year without running out of money before they run out of life.

Death Benefit Riders

澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Death benefit riders protect the beneficiary's payout in the event the market performs poorly. The amount the beneficiary receives depends on the base annuity contract and the rider purchased. Common payout amounts to beneficiaries are the remaining account value, initial premiums less withdrawals, or a stepped-up death benefit equal to the highest account value reached. Annuitants desiring to leave an inheritance may find death benefit riders a useful add-on🔜.

Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Riders

澳洲幸运5官方💜开奖结果体彩网:Inflation is one of the biggest enemies of fixed income, particularly for retirees with many years remaining after they fully retire. 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Cost-of-living adjustment riders, commonly referred to as COLA riders, safeguard the purchas🍸ing p𒉰ower of annuity benefits by adjusting the income annually to account for inflation. 

Many COLA riders use the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Consumer Price Index (CPI) to determine the percentage increase each year required for the original annuity payout to have the same spending power year over year. 

Guaranteed Minimum Income Benefit (GMIB) Riders

GMIB riders guarantee annuitants a minimum income amount, regardless of how the annuity's investments perform. These riders are most commonly found on 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:variable annuity contracts, where the value of the annuity fluctuates based on the▨ market value of the assets within the annuity. 

Guaranteed minimum income benefit riders do not hinder an annuity contract's performance. Well-performing annuities still benefit from the growth of the underlying investments. Think of GMIB riders as a safety net. Regardless of market conditions, the GMIB guarantees a fixed income that annuitants can rely on.

Related Stories

Avoid These 7 Common Annuity Mistakes That Could Cost You Dearly

Annuity Fees: The Hidden Costs You Can't Afford To Ignore

Long-Term Care (LTC) Riders

Long-term care riders are annuity add-ons that help cover the costs of personal care needs if the annuitant becomes critically ill, disabled, cognitively impaired, or unable to care for themselves due to aging or other factors. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 60% of Americans will eventually require assistance withactivities of daily living, such as dressing, bathing, toileting, transferring, and eating. 

The long-term care rider on an annuity is an alternative to 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:standalone long-term care policies. It♍ may be particularly attractive for individu🧜als who would not qualify for a long-term care insurance policy due to health or age-related concerns.

Return of Premium Riders

Return of premium riders ensure that if annuitants pass away before receiving at least the money they paid into the contract, the difference between their paid-out amount and their premiums is returned to their beneficiaries. These annuity riders, in a sense, serve as a money-back guarantee that the annuitant's unused principal is not a donation to the insurance company upon their death.

Costs and Considerations

Annuity riders typically come with an additional cost—assessed as an annual fee that may range from 0.25% to as much as 1.50% of the annuity's value per rider. Some fees are deducꦇt🌺ed directly from the account value, while others will directly affect returns or payouts. 

Even when an annuity rider is advertised as "no-cost," it is not free. Costs for these "no-cost" riders are built into the base annuity structure. These riders may result in lower interest rates, capped growth, or limited flexibility, which base annuities without these "no-cost" perks would not have.

An individual's overall health can impact whether living benefit riders or COLA riders are cost-effective or whether long-term care riders are a more sensible option than a separate policy. Annuitants at risk of passing before they recoup the pℱremiums paid into their policies may want to consider death benefit riders that ensure beneficiaries receive th🌃e remaining balance.

Several annuity rider options may be beneficial to an annuitant and their spouse. For example, married couples may prioritize joint payouts or spousal continuation riders, typically only available in life payout policies, to ensure the annuitant's spouse has guaranteed income for life if the annuitant precedes them in death.

Financial goals and budget go hand in hand when deciding what, if any, annuity riders are appropriate add-ons. Whether the annuitant needs income guarantees, legacy income, inflation protection, or a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:backup plan for long-term care needs, they should match riders to their most pressing needs and consider other lower-cost op♎tions when available or necessary.

Annuities are not appropriate for everyone. They are a complex financial product, even without the addit🌱ional management and cost of annuity rider add-ons. Each contract and annuity has its own terms and fees. Unde﷽rstanding the fine print and expenses associated with annuities and annuity riders is crucial before committing to an annuity contract. 

How To Choose the Right Annuity Riders

Crafting an annuity contract with the most suitable riders is a highly personalized endeavor that should be guided by financial priorities and individual circumstances. Still, annuity riders are designed as solutions to problems, so matching concerns to add-ons that address them is a gre🐻at place to start in selecting riders. 

Annuitants worried about outliving their income through lifespan or 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:market volatility should consider:

• Guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit rider to ensure a minimum payout for life.
• Guaranteed minimum income benefit to guarantee a minimum payout regardless of market volatility

Annu🍃itants who desire to leave a financial legacy should cons෴ider:

• Return of premium rider to return the remainder of the investment to beneficiaries if the annuitant dies before it's completely paid out. 
• Enhanced death benefit rider to lock in gains or provide stepped-up annuity values for beneficiaries. 

Annuitants without separate long-term care꧒ insurance should cons🦄ider:

• Long-term care rider to provide additional income if they require qualified long-term care. 
• Chronic illness rider to accelerate repayment benefits if diagnosed with a qualifying condition. 

The Bottom Line

Annuity riders enable annuitants to tailor annuity contracts to meet their specific financial goals and needs, whether those are for lifetime income, long-term care coverage, protection against market fluctuations, or legacy protection. Customization comes at a cost, and not every 🌠rider 🌼is suitable for everyone. 

A financial advisor can help distill which riders are relevant and aligned with personal goals and needs without paying for unnecessary annuity bells and whistles. A financial advisor can also relay information about the creditworthiness and economic strength of insurance companies to ensure they're able to deliver on their long-term promises. 

When wisely chosen, rid👍ers can enhance a basic one-size-fits-all annuity contract into a financial safety net.