When you retire, or just before, you will be looking into ways to make your savings and your pension last for as long as possible. There are a number of investment options that you can make, and there are various ways to make your money last: one of these is an annuity. Annuities can seem complicated because there is so much information available and it can be difficult to sift through all of that to the details that you really need to know. So here is the information on annuities that you really need to know.

An annuity is a financial product that you can purchase when you retire. You have the option to take all of the money that you have saved in your pension and use it to buy an annuity. That annuity will then guarantee you a regular income for the rest of your life. You should not take the first annuities deal that you come across, even if it is offered by your current insurer. You absolutely must look around for the best possible annuities rate and the best deal. When you purchase annuities, the insurance company will use that money to buy gilts, the return from this investment is what makes up your regular income.

This is why it is so important to get the best annuity rate of return that you can; in addition you cannot get the money back once you have bought an annuity. There are a number of different kinds of annuities which you can choose from but it is in your best interest to look into an enhanced or impaired annuity. With annuities of this kind, you will receive a better annuity rate because your life expectancy will be less. People who are smokers, who are overweight, suffering from certain medical conditions or who are on prescription medication should apply for this type of annuity. This goes too for people who have been in hospital recently or who have a history of heart disease or cancer.

There are other kinds of annuities that you will have to look into, you can choose between a fixed annuity where you get a fixed amount every month that does not change and an index linked annuity which changes with the stock market. You can also get an annuity that increases with inflation. There are many options but the key thing to remember is to do your homework about annuities and shop around for the very best deal.