Why Cash Out an Annuity for All Your Money Now?
For most people, the choice of taking an annuity payout seems to make plenty of sense on the surface. Whether your annuity is from lottery winnings or a life insurance policy, it offers long-term financial security and stability, right? That’s the theory, at any rate. By taking annuity payments, you’re guaranteed a specific amount of income over a set period of time, which allows you to plan for the future and not have to worry that you will be completely bereft of income. However, life has a way of changing things so that annuity payments don’t always work the way you anticipate.
Mounting Bills
Why cash out an annuity? Many people find that one reason they need that money right now is so they can pay off mounting bills – medical or otherwise. A simple medical problem can cause havoc with your finances and while those annuity payments will help pay off your bills over time, there’s nothing they can do about your immediate need. This is particularly true in situations where you might have lost your job and creditors are hounding you, or your mortgage company is threatening you with foreclosure. Those annuity payments only offer so much help.
Where to Find Help
The real issue here is how to cash out your annuity. What should you do? You can’t just go to the bank and ask for money upfront. Technically, all the money remaining to you is held by the payer – it’s officially theirs until they have to pay it to you, despite your annuity agreement. You do have options, though. There are companies that will buy your annuity in exchange for a lump sum of money. This gives you access to almost all of your funds right away, to use as you see fit. You can pay bills, repair your home, repair your car (or get a new one), or put the money towards your children’s education.