Don’t have your Nedbank ID yet?
Nedbank ID single sign-on gives you full digital access to Nedbank’s banking and lifestyle products and services on the Money app or Online Banking.
Log in
Log in to Online Banking or another one of our secured services.
Get in touch
Find us
- Login & Register
- Online Banking
- Online Share Trading
- NetBank Business
- NedFleet
- Nedbank Greenbacks
- Nedgroup Investments
- Nedbank ID
- Bank
- Accounts
- Credit cards
- Digital banking
- Switch to Nedbank
- Fraud awareness
- Forex
- Rewards
- Explore Bank
- Accounts
- Everyday banking
- Youth banking
- Accounts
- Digital wallet
- Private Wealth
- Goal saving
- See all accounts
- Get help choosing
- Family Banking
- Refugees and asylum seekers
- FAQ
- How-to guides
- Everyday banking
- MiGoals Premium
- MiGoals Plus
- MiGoals
- Discontinued accounts
- Youth banking
- Nedbank4Me
- Digital wallet
- MobiMoney
- Private Wealth
- Private Wealth Bundle
- Goal saving
- MyPocket
- American Express
- Amex Gold
- Amex Platinum
- Digital banking
- Switch to Nedbank
- Fraud awareness
- Forex
- Send and receive
- Rewards
- Save & Invest
- Accounts
- Investment services
- Share trading
- Explore Save & Invest
- On demand
- Club
- Money Market
- Stokvel
- In 24 hours
- JustInvest
- PlatinumInvest
- Tax-free Savings
- MoneyTrader
- EasyAccess Fixed Deposit
- PrimeSelect
- In 32 days
- Electronic 32Day Notice
- 32Day Notice
- End of term
- Tax-free Fixed Deposit
- Electronic Fixed Deposit
- Electronic Optimum Plus
- Platinum Fixed Deposit
- Fixed Deposit
- OptimumPlus
- Investment services
- Share trading
- Borrow
- Personal loans
- Home loans
- Student loans
- Overdrafts
- Vehicle finance
- Solar finance
- Explore Borrow
- Personal loans
- Consolidation loan
- Secondhand car loan
- Home improvement loan
- Exclusive short-term loan offers
- Explore loans
- FAQ
- How to guides
- Consolidation loan
- Secondhand car loan
- Home improvement loan
- Exclusive short-term loan offers
- Home loans
- Building loan
- Switching home loan
- Repossessed properties
- Start your home buying journey
- Solar-energy Finance
- Earn R29,600 p/m or less? See offer
- HomeVision extra funds
- Home-buying Toolkit
- Managing your home loan
- Explore home loans
- FAQ
- How to guides
- Track application
- Building loan
- Switching home loan
- Repossessed properties
- Start your home buying journey
- Solar-energy Finance
- Earn R29,600 p/m or less? See offer
- HomeVision extra funds
- Home-buying Toolkit
- Managing your home loan
- Student loans
- Explore student loans
- Overdrafts
- Vehicle finance
- Solar finance
- Insure
- Life cover
- Funeral cover
- Short term insurance
- Credit Life
- Travel insurance
- Is your business covered?
- Secure Investments
- Explore Insure
- Life cover
- Get a call back
- Explore MyCover life
- Funeral cover
- Individual R10,000
- Individual R30,000
- Family Cover
- Build your own cover
- Get a call back
- Explore MyCover Funeral
- Individual R10,000
- Individual R30,000
- Family Cover
- Build your own cover
- Short term insurance
- Vehicle insurance
- Building insurance
- House contents insurance
- Valuables insurance
- Get a call back
- Explore MyCover short term insurance
- Vehicle insurance
- Building insurance
- House contents insurance
- Valuables insurance
- Credit Life
- Home loan credit life
- MFC Vehicle Finance Assurance
- Overdraft Assurance
- Balance Protection Plan
- Personal loan Assurance
- Get a call back
- Explore credit life
- Home loan credit life
- MFC Vehicle Finance Assurance
- Overdraft Assurance
- Balance Protection Plan
- Personal loan Assurance
- Travel insurance
- Is your business covered?
- Secure Investments
- Guaranteed Growth Plan
- Guaranteed Income Plan
- Get a call back
- Explore MyCover Funeral
- Guaranteed Growth Plan
- Guaranteed Income Plan
- Plan
- Financial planning
- Estate, wills & trust services
- Nedbank Private Wealth
- Speak to a financial adviser
- Explore Plan
- Financial planning
- Investment planning
- Insurance planning
- Give
- Retirement planning
- Investment planning
- Insurance planning
- Give
- Retirement planning
- Estate, wills & trust services
- Will drafting
- Ensure your estate is managed by an executor | Nedbank
- Trust services
- Financial accounting
- Tax services
- Leave the admin of your estate to us, and not to your loved ones | Nedbank
- Will drafting
- Ensure your estate is managed by an executor | Nedbank
- Trust services
- Financial accounting
- Tax services
- Leave the admin of your estate to us, and not to your loved ones | Nedbank
- Nedbank Private Wealth
- Speak to a financial adviser
- Learn
- Blog
- Explore Learn
- Blog
- Contact us
- Talk to us
- Find us
- Explore Contact us
- Talk to us
- Find us
What are annuities and how do they work?
Choosing the right kind of annuity will enable you to enjoy the retirement you want.
The aim of retirement planning is to connect your financial decisions to the life you are planning for. Technically, you want to ensure that you receive an income from your savings in retirement to meet your financial needs for as long as you live. While this may sound like a big ask, annuities were specifically designed for this purpose.
Choosing the right annuity to provide you with a retirement income is a very important decision, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By equipping yourself with a good understanding of the different annuity options at retirement and getting personal financial advice, you can make an informed choice that will enable you to enjoy the retirement you want. At retirement you need to be able to maintain the lifestyle that you’re used to.
What is a retirement annuity?
When you retire from your retirement fund, you must use at least two-thirds of the total fund proceeds to buy an annuity. An annuity pays you a regular income or pension to cover your expenses in retirement.
Different types of annuities and how they work
There are 2 types of annuities – living and guaranteed (or life) annuities. The main differences between them relate to how much control you have and the level of risk you are exposed to.
A living annuity gives you more control, but you run the risk of running out of money.
A living annuity is an investment product. Your savings are invested in a range of funds to continue growing, and you can draw an income for as long as there is money in the annuity. You have the freedom to choose:
- in which underlying funds to invest your savings; and
- how much money you want to draw as an income, either monthly or yearly, subject to regulatory limits (currently you cannot withdraw less than 2.5% or more than 17.5% of the total annuity value). You can also change the level of income once a year.
However, the risk of a living annuity is that you can run out of money if:
- markets perform poorly and the investment growth on your savings is not enough,
- you draw too much as income, or
- you live longer than expected.
Nedbank offers hybrid annuities that combine the different features of living and guaranteed annuities
This means living annuities are generally more suitable for people who prefer to make their own investment and income choices and can take on more risk because, for example, they have other sources of retirement income in addition to their annuity. You own all your savings, which means a living annuity allows you to pass on any money left in the annuity at your death to your beneficiaries.
A guaranteed annuity offers very little control, but you have peace of mind that you will receive an income for life.
A guaranteed annuity is essentially an insurance product that you buy from a life insurer. In exchange for your retirement savings, the insurer pays you a predetermined monthly income for as long as you live. In other words, guaranteed annuities provide protection against the risks of running out of money and of living longer than expected. The income amount will be determined by factors like the value of your retirement savings, your age and sex (related to life expectancy), and the specific product features.
A standard guaranteed annuity comes to an end when you die, which means you cannot transfer the income payments to beneficiaries. You trade access to your savings for the certainty of an income stream. If you live longer, it’s beneficial for you. If you don’t, it may not be beneficial for your estate. Some products do, however, offer an optional add-on, which allows you to add a second person (like your spouse) as a beneficiary for a specific number of years.
Generally, guaranteed annuities are more suitable for people who don’t want the responsibility of managing their own retirement savings and value peace of mind more than freedom of choice, or the ability to pass on any surplus capital to their beneficiaries at their death.
While you can switch from one living annuity to another, and from a living annuity to a guaranteed annuity, you cannot switch out of a guaranteed annuity once you are invested. That is why it is important to consider your decision carefully.
How to choose the right annuity for you
While the summaries above provide a good starting point for deciding which annuity may be most suitable for you, it’s best to speak to a professional financial advisor about your options. They will consider your overall financial situation as well as all the factors that affect your choice of annuity, such as the value of your savings and income requirements, current rates from life annuities and the needs of your dependants. Depending on your specific circumstances and needs, it may make sense for you to invest in both types of annuities.
Nedbank offers hybrid annuities that combine the different features of living and guaranteed annuities. Contact a consultant via our retirement planning homepage if you need advice to make an informed decision.
