Some argue that annuities are particularly good options for women

While annuities can guarantee an income for risk-averse investors, they may play it too safe for others

Whether or not an annuity is the right investment option depends on the buyer’s unique needs. People who plan to retire soon are more likely to opt for the lower-risk investment, but there may be opportunity costs for people seeking higher returns.

Annuity sales have climbed, topping $430B in 2024, as retirees look to pad their income

Retirees are seeking guaranteed income that will last for as long as they live, weather market downturns, and preserve wealth.

Those over the age of 55 can buy an annuity with their pension savings

Annuity rates have risen in recent years, making them a more popular financial product, especially as people live longer. But buying an annuity isn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision.

People with annuities (annuitants) tend to skew older, with most approaching retirement age

However, others also invest in an annuity contract when they come into a large sum of money, like an inheritance. There are lots of myths surrounding annuities, such as the idea that they're only for the wealthy.

Annuities are financial products typically used by retirees looking for guaranteed income streams

Specifically, annuities are contracts between an individual and an insurance company that require the insurance company to make regular payments to the individual.

Annuity owners are mainly middle-class people looking to supplement their savings

Gallup surveyed people who own annuities and found that annuity owners skew older and that the overwhelming majority bought the contracts to guarantee income during their retirement years. The annuity owners also said the contracts provide them with peace of mind.

Annuities differ from life insurance policies in a few key ways, such as when they're paid out and who they benefit

Annuities are intended to benefit the plan owner, and benefits are paid out during the owner's life. The person who buys life insurance rarely sees those benefits—they're intended instead for heirs and dependents.

Investments into an annuity are typically locked up during the accumulation period

For one year, most annuitants won’t be able to withdraw any funds. After that, most contracts allow them to take out up to 10% of their accumulated total annually before fees—called surrender charges—are applied to their withdrawals.

An annuity income calculator

This interactive calculator lets users estimate how much money they can expect in their annuity payouts, depending on factors such as how much they invest and how long they expect to be paid. It also shows how the principal will deplete over time.

Cash balance pension plans provide the option of a lifetime annuity

Specifically, these defined-benefit plans are retirement plans that differ from traditional pensions in that they can come in one lump sum rather than in monthly payments. These plans are most popular among small business owners and their employees. Learn more about them in this article.

Annuitants have to pay income taxes on the annuity payments they receive, unless their annuities are folded into a Roth IRA

In most other cases, annuities grow tax-deferred until annuitants start to receive payments. Those payments are then taxed as regular income. Nonqualified annuities, which are bought with after-tax dollars, have different rules.

Lottery winners have two choices: lump sums or annuities

Lottery winners can receive either a lump sum or a yearly payout for 30 years. If they take the lump sum, they can receive only about 60% of the winnings—and that 60% is then taxed. If they choose to receive the annual payout as an annuity, there are tax strategies they can use to minimize how much they owe.

Pension plans investing over 60% in stocks had the highest real returns in 2024

In order to ensure that retirees received all the retirement funds a company or other institution may have promised them, pensions were often limited to investing in run-of-the-mill assets like government securities, investment-grade bonds, and blue-chip stocks. But as market conditions have evolved, pensions are increasingly being invested in a wider range of assets, including alternative investments.

When a pension holder dies, payments are sometimes passed on to a relative

Those relatives are often the pension holder’s surviving spouses or dependents. This article offers tips from a financial expert on how to make sure your spouse is taken care of during retirement, including navigating a pension’s ultimate destination.

About 30% of financial advisors opted for fixed and indexed annuities in 2023

An infographic that shows the most common types of investments used by financial advisors with their clients in 2023 also found that nine in 10 advisors used ETFs, and three-quarters invested in cash and cash equivalents.

Only half of American workers have retirement accounts at their current jobs

Most American retirement accounts are not nearly funded enough to support people living longer, healthier lives. Get the details on five individuals at different stages of life and hear how they’ve saved—or not—while expert Theresa Ghilarducci explains the current weaknesses of the retirement regime in America.

Scientists have not yet answered what the evolutionary benefit may be of menopause

Few animals are known to experience menopause, raising questions about why it would be evolutionarily advantageous to have women survive past their reproductive years. One leading hypothesis is the grandmother hypothesis—older women and other species known to experience menopause, like whales, can aid families and pass down knowledge to future generations.

Should you give up a car in retirement?

Did you know that drivers over the age of 74 tend to pay higher car insurance rates than most other age groups? That small fortune in auto insurance payments is just one reason some people give up a car when they retire. If you're curious about the pros of getting rid of your car when you retire, read this article.

3 types of people who should claim Social Security at 62

Popular wisdom suggests people should wait as long as possible to claim their Social Security benefits. This article argues there are three types of people who would benefit from claiming sooner rather than later—such as people with short life expectancies. To see the other two groups of people who might want to claim as soon as possible, read the article here.

The first year of retirement sets the financial tone for later life

The "first year of retirement" rule says the 12 months after you retire from your career and leave the workforce can set the tone for the rest of your financial life—so it's important to approach it mindfully.

Women more likely than men to report strain of being a caregiver

A Pew Research Center caregiver analysis from 2026 indicates that, though men and women both say caring for aging parents improved their relationships with their parents, women are more likely than men to report that it had a negative impact on their emotional well-being and physical health.

Some people don't like talking about life insurance—perhaps because they fear death

But CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger makes a case for why life insurance is worth discussing anyway on this "CBS Mornings" segment. She also reviews the different types of life insurance, who can be a beneficiary, and other basics.

Autoimmune disorders are one of the top 10 killers of young and middle-aged women

Studies in the US and the UK, though conducted decades ago, have underscored that autoimmune diseases, when grouped together, are a top killer of women.

What are college endowments? An expert explains

College endowments are meant to last forever. That's why some of the oldest, most prestigious schools in the US have lasted so long. A higher education finance expert weighs in on how these funds work and offers fascinating tidbits on how they impact university finances.

Health span: The number of years one is active and disease-free

As scientific advances continue to extend the average human lifespan, many are now turning their attention toward extending "health span." The ultimate goal would be to extend one's health span to match one's lifespan, which would necessitate a shift in focus toward the pursuit of healthy aging. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Dozens of S&P 500 stocks, including Coca-Cola and Walmart—known as the dividend aristocrats—have increased dividends every year for 25 years

US housing costs have risen by roughly 175% between 1991 and 2026—but a growing number of Gen Zers are becoming homeowners anyway. In 2025, 4% of homebuyers were Gen Z, up from 3% the year before.

Some renewable energy sources may weaken the resiliency of electric grids by removing outage buffers provided by coal- and natural gas-fired plants, which provide the system with more time to find a new power source if a plant goes down.

Apeirophobia is an overwhelming fear of living forever, perhaps stemming from the brain's inability to conceptualize an infinite life.

20,000 letters to the advice columnist 'Dear Abby' provide insight into prevailing sex, religion, and LGBTQ fears, anxieties, and concerns from the 1950s onward.

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.

Hedge funds, the private investment firms that trade a wide swath of financial assets, make money by imposing steep fees on investors and from the fund's investment performance.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

In 2026, Finland was named the world's happiest country for the ninth consecutive year based on its wealth, social safety network, and high life expectancy, among other factors.

Despite being favored by 87% of Americans, Congress does not have term limits.

To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

'Silent' fireworks have gained more interest in recent years as a quieter celebratory option.

See a ranking of the best (and worst) Federal Reserve Chairs since 1914 out of the 16 men and women who have held the office since.

Georgia O'Keeffe's flower paintings are often assumed to be sexual, though the artist claimed she was simply interested in highlighting the beauty of flowers that most people neglect

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

Sunflowers have long been a symbol of nuclear disarmament because they can extract large amounts of radioactive cesium from soil.

For centuries, Niagara Falls has been a magnet for daredevils seeking to conquer one of nature's most powerful wonders, with its 200-foot drop and water rushing at 32 feet per second with 280 tons of force.

For centuries, it was common to sleep in two shifts: a few hours at the beginning of the night, and a longer period beginning around midnight

A researcher recently discovered an interview from 1967 between groundbreaking journalist Joan Didion and the Grateful Dead, years before the band became an institution.

Comedy legend Catherine O'Hara, star of 'Schitt's Creek' and 'Home Alone,' quit 'Saturday Night Live' after just one week to return to her old job.

Use this tool to calculate the dollar value of your parental mental load, from meal planning to coordinating after-school care, then see resources that help generate solutions.

While atoms are normally made of protons, neutrons, and electrons, exotic ones have been built with antimatter—alternate versions of normal matter that live for fractions of a second and are about a billion times as rare.

Brandi Chastain, the star of the 1999 US victory over China in the 1999 Women's World Cup, was a last-second choice to take the penalty kick that sealed the victory.