Longevity Insurance

Findings from a recent Gallup poll suggest that annuity ownership in the United States is dominated by middle- income households and individuals. Eighty percent of annuity owners have income of less than $100,000, while only four percent of annuity owning households have incomes in excess of $200,000. Other poll findings include: Almost half of the respondents have household income less than $50,000. Seven out of ten annuity owners are retired. The average age of annuity owners is 70. Women...

Brett Arends writes a personal finance column for the Wall Street Journal. He is one of the more interesting and popular personal finance writers in the industry. Although a subscription is required to read the Wall Street Journal, Arends' column (among other Journal features) is highly recommended. For the past two weeks, Arends has written columns that focus on annuities. The columns can be accessed by clicking here and here . Both articles are highly recommended. Topics addressed include:...

A House bill introduced by Representative Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., would affect the tax treatment of certain annuities and income from IRAs. H.R. 2748, the Retirement Security Needs Lifetime Pay Act, would create a tax exemption for 50% of the income drawn from a non-qualified annuity. The exemption would be capped at $10,000 per year. The bill would also create a 25% tax exemption for income payments from an individual retirement account (IRA). Last, the bill would exclude the value of longevity...