Annuity contracts are agreements between you and a life insurance company. The life insurance company promises to pay either interest on the money you deposit into the annuity contract or, in the case of an income annuity, they may promise to pay a stream of payments for either a fixed period or for your entire lifetime. Annuities offer guarantees by the issuing company and tax deferral of earnings until the earnings are paid out.

Annuities are available as Single Premium Deferred and Flexible Premium Deferred Annuities with the primary purpose of crediting interest and accumulation inside the annuity contract. As a side benefit, income can usually be taken from these annuity accounts.

Another type of annuity is the income annuity. An immediate income annuity is commonly known as a single premium immediate annuity and, as the name implies, these products pay a stream of guaranteed income for a specified period of time or for life of the annuitant. Thereby a distinguishing benefit is that these annuities can guarantee you income for life and that is income you cannot outlive.