Sam Edwards | Getty Images
One type of annuity may be on the verge of remodeling a little.
Pending bipartisan pension legislation in both the House and Senate would change the rules for qualified long-term pension contracts (QLACs). Although the rules of the two chambers are slightly different, they would both remove the 25 percent limit on retirement you can invest in these insurance options and give buyers a 90-day clear view.
Simply put, QLACs are contracts where a flat rate premium is paid from your retirement account – i.e. 401 (k) or individual retirement account – to an insurance company and then a guaranteed monthly amount is received for the rest of your life. starting at a predetermined time in the future.
QLACs, like other guaranteed income options, address the concern many people have about surviving their savings. According to a 2020 study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, around 3 in 4 retirees and employees say income stability is higher than maintaining account balances or preserving wealth.
More from Personal Finance:
The aid from the pandemic era is running dry. Families still have options
These retirees are more likely to be “comfortable” or “wealthy”
Crypto starts as a means of payment for vacation getaways
In general, the longer the deferral period with a QLAC, the higher the payments. However, you need to start the source of income at the age of 85.
“If you are really focused on … longevity, insurance, and the risk of surviving your money, this is just one tool available,” said Rob Greenman, certified financial planner, chief growth officer of Vista Capital Partners in Portland, Oregon.
“You need to make sure that it fits your budget and works in harmony with everything you do,” Greenman said.
In addition to the current 25% limit on the amount of your retirement money that you can use to purchase a QLAC, it cannot exceed $ 135,000 (2021 limit). The Senate version of the Pension Act would increase this to $ 200,000.
Additionally, the money used on the QLAC will be excluded from the required minimum payout calculations until you receive the income. (RMDs are amounts that you must deduct from most retirement accounts after you are 72 years old.)
QLACs can be set up as joint pensions. This would mean that payments would continue as long as you or your spouse are alive.
However, QLACs are not without risk. For one, if there is no cash-back feature – which basically means you pay a claimant a lump sum of the balance, if any – of your premium, payments will stop once you die.
A man who buys a QLAC for $ 135,000 at age 70 would receive $ 26,656 annually from the age of 85, according to an online calculator from Fidelity Investments. For a woman, the annual payout would be $ 24,034 (women tend to live longer).
In these scenarios, a man turning 90 would receive $ 133,280 – just below his initial investment. On the other hand, if he lived to the age of 95, he would receive payouts of $ 266,560 over those 10 years.
“But it’s really just a bet,” said Greenman. “If you live over 85 for a long time … you win because the pension fund has to pay that out for the rest of your life.”
However, if you are wrong and you are about to die, you will have lost the money you put into retirement. “You lose there,” said Greenman.
It is uncertain when the bills containing the QLAC amendments – as well as a host of other provisions aimed at improving old-age provision – will advance through the legislative process.
Comments are closed.