Annuities and Individual Retirement Accounts
Teaching Note
This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part discusses the basic characteristics of individual annuities. Concepts to stress are the annuity principle and the different types of annuities. For ease of understanding, the text classifies annuities into three categories: (1) fixed annuity, (2) variable annuity, and (3) equity-indexed annuity.
The second part of the chapter discusses the different types of IRAs. Point out to the students the financial advantages of starting a Roth IRA while still in college even though they may be unable to make the maximum annual IRA contribution. Small contributions over a long period can produce substantial ending values.
Outline
I. Individual Annuities A. Annuity Principle B. Types of Annuities 1. Fixed annuity a. Payment of benefits b. Annuity settlement options 2. Variable annuitya. Basic characteristics b. Guaranteed death benefit c. Fees and expenses d. Investment performance 3. Equity-indexed annuity
a. Participation rate
b. Maximum cap note or cap c. Indexing method
d. Guaranteed minimum value
II. Taxation of Individual Annuities III. Individual Retirement Accounts
A. Traditional IRA
2. Annual contribution limits
3. Income tax deduction of traditional IRA contributions 4. Special phase-out rule for spouses
5. Withdrawal of funds 6. Taxation of distributions 7. Establishing a traditional IRA 8. IRA investments
9. IRA rollover account B. Roth IRA
1. Income limits
2. Conversion to a Roth IRA 3. Adequacy of IRA funds
Answers to Case Application 1
a. James should purchase a flexible premium deferred annuity, which allows changes in the amount and frequency of payments. The flexible premium annuity can be either a fixed annuity or a variable annuity.
b. Nancy should purchase a fixed annuity and select a life income annuity option that guarantees her a lifetime income regardless of how long she lives. Depending on her needs and objectives, the life income option can be selected with a certain number of guaranteed payments.
c. Jennifer should select a life annuity income option with either an installment refund feature or a cash refund feature. Under the installment refund option, if the annuitant dies before receiving total income payments equal to the purchase price of the annuity, the payments continue to a designated beneficiary until they equal the purchase price. Under the cash refund option, if the annuitant dies before receiving total payments equal to the purchase price of the annuity, the balance is paid in a lump sum to the beneficiary.
d. Fred should purchase a variable annuity, which is designed to provide an inflation hedge after retirement.
e. Mary should purchase a fixed annuity. She should select the life income annuity option with no refund feature. This option provides a life income to the annuitant only while the annuitant is alive. No additional payments are made after the annuitant dies. A life income option with no refund pays the highest amount of periodic income payments because it has no refund feature.
f. Kathy should purchase an equity-indexed annuity. An equity-indexed annuity is a fixed, deferred annuity that allows the annuity owner to participate in the growth of the stock market and also provides downside protection against the loss of principal and prior interest if the annuity is held to term.
Answers to Case Application 2
a. Yes. The couple’s combined income of $65,000 is under the income threshold for a fully deductible IRA contribution for a married couple ($92,000 in 2012.).
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b. Yes, Allison can establish and deduct the contributions to a traditional IRA. The couple’s combined income of $65,000 is under the income threshold for a fully deductible IRA contribution for a married couple ($92,000 in 2012).
c. Both Scott and Allison can establish a Roth IRA. The couple’s modified adjusted gross income of $130,000 is below the income threshold for a full contribution to a Roth IRA for a married couple filing jointly ($173,000 in 2012).
d. Yes. A special rule applies to a spouse who is not an active participant in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, but the other spouse is an active participant. For 2012, Allison can contribute and deduct $5,000 because the couple’s combined income is below the income limit for a full deduction under the special rule ($173,000 in 2012).
e. If certain requirements are met, all distributions from a Roth IRA are received free of income taxes. The minimum distribution rules at age 70 1/2 do not apply to a Roth IRA. In addition, the income limits for a Roth IRA are substantially higher than for a traditional IRA. Finally, unlike a traditional IRA, contributions can be made to a Roth IRA after age 70 1/2.
Answers to Review Questions
1. Life insurance provides protection against dying too soon before financial assets can be accumulated; annuities are designed to provide protection against excessive longevity and the exhaustion of one’s savings while still alive.
2. A fixed annuity pays periodic income payments that are guaranteed and fixed in amount. During the accumulation period, investment income accumulates income-tax free. At retirement, the
accumulated funds can be paid out under one of the annuity settlement options.
3. Annuity settlement options typically include the cash option, life annuity with no refund feature, life annuity with guaranteed payments, installment refund or cash refund option, and a joint-and-survivor annuity.
4. A variable annuity provides an inflation hedge by maintaining the real purchasing power of the periodic payments during retirement. During the accumulation period, premiums are invested and accumulation units are acquired. At retirement, the accumulation units are converted into annuity units. The number of annuity units remains constant, but the value of the annuity unit changes periodically depending on the value of the subaccount in which the premiums are invested. As a result, the amount of monthly income changes periodically based on the value of the subaccount. 5. An equity-indexed annuity is a fixed, deferred annuity that allows the annuity owner to participate in
the growth of the stock market and also provides downside protection against the loss of principal and prior interest earnings if the annuity is held to term. The interest credited to the annuity is based on a stock market index, typically Standard & Poor’s 500 Composite Stock Index (S&P 500). The annuity is credited with part of the gain in the index, which does not include reinvestment of dividends. Participation rates generally range from 30 percent to 100 percent of the gain in the stock index. 6. A traditional IRA has two eligibility requirements. First, the participant must have taxable
compensation during the year, which can include wages and salaries, bonuses, commissions, and self-employment income. Second, the participant must be under age 70 1/2.
7. For 2012, the maximum annual contribution is $5000 or 100 percent of earned compensation, whichever is less. Older workers age 50 and over can contribute an additional $1000, or a maximum of $6000.
8. A traditional IRA is an IRA that allows workers to deduct part or all of their IRA contributions. The deduction is limited to workers whose taxable compensation is below certain annual thresholds, or to those who are not active participants in an employer-sponsored retirement plan. The investment income accumulates income-tax free on a tax-deferred basis, and the distributions are taxed as ordinary income.
9. The annual contributions to a Roth IRA are not income-tax deductible. However, the investment income accumulates income-tax free, and qualified distributions are not taxable if certain
requirements are met. A qualified distribution is any distribution that (1) is made after a five-year period beginning with the first tax year for which a Roth contribution is made, and (2) is made for any of the following reasons:
• The individual is age 59 1/2 or older. • The individual is disabled.
• The distribution is paid to a beneficiary or to the estate after the individual’s death.
• The distribution is used to pay qualified first-time homebuyer expenses (maximum of $10,000). 10. A rollover is a tax-free distribution of cash or other property from one retirement plan, which is then
deposited into another retirement plan. The amount you roll over is tax free but generally becomes taxable when the new plan pays out that amount to you or to your beneficiary. For example, if you quit your job and receive a lump sum distribution from your employer’s qualified retirement plan, the funds can be deposited into a special IRA rollover account. If you receive the funds directly, the employer must deduct 20 percent for federal income taxes. However, the tax is deferred if the employer transfers the funds directly into the IRA rollover account.
Answers to Application Questions
1. (a) The insurer determines how the premiums are invested in a fixed annuity. As such, the investment risk falls on the insurer. The annuity owner determines how the premiums are invested in a variable annuity. The annuity owner has a choice of investment portfolios in which the premiums are invested, such as a growth stock fund, bond fund, or international fund. The investment risk falls on the annuity owner.
(b) The income payments in a fixed annuity are guaranteed and fixed and generally do not change. The income payments in a variable annuity change periodically depending on the value of the annuity units.
(c) In a fixed annuity, the death benefit prior to retirement is usually the gross premiums paid without interest, or the cash value of the contract if larger. In a variable annuity, the death benefit is the amount invested in the contract, or the value of the account at the time of death, whichever is larger. Some variable annuities pay enhanced death benefits, such as periodically adjusting the value of the account to lock in investment gains.
2. (a) An equity-indexed annuity and variable annuity have certain similarities. Both are designed to provide life income to annuitants, both provide for death benefits prior to retirement, and both provide for participation in stock market gains.
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(b) An equity-indexed annuity and variable annuity are dissimilar in several respects. The equity- indexed annuity is technically a fixed annuity, whereas the variable annuity provides variable benefits. The equity-indexed annuity typically limits the extent to which the annuity owner participates in any stock market gains, which does not include reinvested dividends. The variable annuity permits the annuity owner to participate fully in stock market gains if the premiums are invested in common stocks.
3. Mario must report taxable income of $6000. Part of each annuity payment is nontaxable, and the other part is taxable. An exclusion ratio must be calculated to determine the nontaxable and taxable portions of the annuity payments. The exclusion ratio is determined by dividing the investment in the contract by the expected return:
= Investment in the contract
Exclusion ratio Expected return
Investment in the contract is $120,000. Expected return is $240,000 (20 × 12 × $1000). The exclusion ratio is 0.50 ($120,000/$240,000). The amount of taxable income is $6000 (0.50 × $12,000).
4. (a) Yes. Because Travis does not participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, he is eligible to establish a traditional tax-deductible IRA.
(b) Yes. For 2012, single taxpayers with modified adjusted gross incomes of $110,000 or less are eligible to establish a Roth IRA and make a full IRA contribution. Maximum annual IRA contributions are phased out for single taxpayers with modified adjusted gross incomes between $110,000 and $125,000. Because Travis has a salary of $55,000, he can establish a Roth IRA. 5. (a) Contributions to a traditional IRA are income-tax deductible up to the maximum annual limit if
the worker’s modified adjusted gross income is below certain annual thresholds, or if the worker is not an active participant in an employer-sponsored retirement plan. The full deduction is gradually phased out as a worker’s modified adjusted gross income increases. Taxpayers with incomes that exceed the phase-out limits can contribute to a traditional IRA but cannot deduct their contributions. Annual contributions to a Roth IRA are not income-tax deductible.
Distributions from a traditional IRA are taxed as ordinary income except for any nondeductible IRA contributions, which are received income-tax free. With certain exceptions, distributions from a traditional IRA before age 59 1/2 are considered to be premature distributions, and a 10 percent penalty tax must be paid on the amount of the distribution included in gross income. Distributions from a Roth IRA at retirement generally are received income-tax free if certain requirements are met.
(b) For 2012, a fully deductible traditional IRA is limited to single taxpayers with modified adjusted gross incomes of $58,000 or less ($92,000 or less for married couples filing jointly).
The full IRA deduction is gradually phased out as modified adjusted gross income increases. For 2012, the phase-out range is $58,000 to $68,000 for single taxpayers and $92,000 to $112,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly.
For 2012, the maximum annual IRA contribution to a Roth IRA is limited to single taxpayers with modified adjusted gross incomes of $110,000 or less and to married couples filing jointly with modified adjusted gross incomes of $173,000 or less. Maximum contributions to a Roth IRA are phased out for single taxpayers with modified adjusted gross incomes between $ $110,000 and $125,000, and for married couples filing jointly with modified adjusted gross incomes between $173,000 and $183,000. The income limits are indexed for inflation.
(c) Both the traditional IRA and Roth IRA permit the contributions to be invested in a variety of investments, including certificates of deposit, mutual funds, and individual stocks and bonds. Contributions can also be invested in U.S. gold and silver coins, certain platinum coins, or gold, silver, palladium, or platinum bullion. However, the contributions cannot be invested in
insurance contracts or collectibles.
(d) A special rule applies to married couples in situations where one spouse is not an active
participant in an employer-sponsored retirement plan but the other spouse is an active participant. As a result, most homemakers can make a fully deductible contribution to a traditional IRA even though the other spouse is covered under a retirement plan at work. For 2012, eligibility for a full deduction is limited to married couples with modified adjusted gross incomes of $173,000 or less. The deduction is phased out for married couples with modified adjusted gross incomes between $173,000 and $183,000. The income limits are indexed for inflation.