Immediate Annuity Income Target Rises 6%

The average premium fed into deferred income annuity searches increased 5%, Cannex data found.

U.S. income annuity shoppers are willing to pay more, and they seem to expect income needs to increase more than the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment rate, according to new annuity search data from Cannex Financial Exchanges.

Shoppers who looked for single-premium immediate annuities in the second quarter asked for prices with an average premium of $362,802, up 6.5% from the average recorded a year earlier.

The average starting annual income from the annuities in the searches increased to $55,350, from $45,823.

For deferred income annuity searchers, average premiums increased 5%, to $293,049. Average annual income rose 18%, to $55,350.

What it means:  Income annuity shoppers and their advisors seem to think that their cost of living could go up about 6% in the coming year.

Details: The Cannex searches showed that the ratio of annual income per single premium payment would hold steady at about $12.60 per $100 of premiums for immediate annuities and increased about 13%, to $18.89 per $100, for deferred income annuities.

The implicit inflation rate built into the Cannex annuity search parameters compares with a projected Social Security COLA of 2.7% for 2025.

Income annuity basics: An income annuity is a product designed to help a consumer turn one or more premium payments and deposits into a stream of income.

An immediate annuity is an income annuity with a benefits payment start date that occurs at or soon after the date of purchase.

A deferred income annuity is an income signed to begin payments at least 13 months after the date of purchase.

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