Retirement is one of the key financial goals for many people. Saving early and often is important. So is taking advantage of products and accounts designed specifically for retirement.
Tax advantages are a key feature of annuities, IRAs and employer sponsored retirement savings plans, such as 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) plans. Any earnings growth in these products is generally tax-deferred until you make withdrawals, generally when you are retired and may well be in a lower tax bracket.
What's more, your contributions to IRAs and employer retirement plans may be made pretax or may be tax deductible, helping reduce your current tax bill.
Annuities
An annuity is long-term retirement product that can help protect you against the risk of outliving your assets. It is a contract between you and an insurance company: you receive future income in return for your contributions.
Any earnings on contributions are tax-deferred until they are withdrawn, usually at retirement when you may be in a lower tax bracket. You may receive income in a number of ways, including payments that will last for as long as you live. Annuities can be a valuable addition to your retirement plan. There are contract limitations and fees and charges associated with annuities, which include, but are not limited to, mortality and expense risk charges, sales and surrender charges, administrative fees, and charges for optional benefits. Amounts in a variable annuity's investment portfolios are subject to fluctuation in value and market risk including loss of principal. A financial professional can provide cost information and complete details. Withdrawals from annuities are subject to normal income tax treatment and if taken prior to age 59 1/2 may be subject to an additional 10% federal income tax penalty. Withdrawals may also be subject to a contractual withdrawal charge.
How annuities can help you
Annuities offer many features that can help you to:
- Receive retirement income payments for as long as you live
- Protect beneficiaries with a death benefit
- Diversify your investments
- Provide an opportunity for growth on a tax-deferred basis
- Avoid outliving your assets
Variable annuities
Variable annuities provide the opportunity for market appreciation — through a variety of investment options — with tax-deferred accumulation and future income.
Variable annuities are designed for people willing to take more risk with their money in exchange for greater growth potential. While there is more risk associated with a variable annuity, many variable annuities offer guarantees of principal and downside protection at an additional cost (depending on contract rider availability). These guarantees do not apply to the investment performance or safety of amounts held in the variable investment options. Variable annuities offer:
- Tax-deferred growth potential
Taxes are deferred on earnings until money is withdrawn. - The opportunity for market appreciation
A variety of investment options are available. - Access to account value
Most variable annuities allow withdrawal of a portion of your account value without penalty. Withdrawals may be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge within the first several years of any contribution, and if taken prior to age 59½, will be subject to a 10 percent IRS penalty. - Benefits to beneficiaries
Death benefits paid directly to a named beneficiary are not subject to probate. - Benefits to spouses
Spousal beneficiaries may continue the contract and its tax deferral, if this option is chosen.
Please consider the charges, risks, expenses, and investment objectives carefully before purchasing a variable annuity. For a prospectus containing this and other information, please contact a financial professional. Read it carefully before you invest or send money.
Individual Retirement Accounts
IRAs are savings plans that enable you to defer paying taxes on the any earnings growth until you actually withdraw the money, after age 59 1/2. There are different types of IRAs, each with their own tax implications and eligibility requirements. The two primary types of IRAs are:
- Traditional IRAs
Contributions may lower your taxable income and earnings grow tax deferred until withdrawn, usually at retirement when you may be in a lower income bracket. - Roth IRAs
Contributions do not lower your taxable income, but qualified earnings can be withdrawn tax-free.
Learn more about IRAs from AXA Advisors, LLC
Employer sponsored plans
For many people, their 401(k), 403(b) or 457(b) plan is a significant way to plan and save for retirement. They allow people to put a portion of their annual income into investment accounts specifically for retirement.
Tax free investment growth potential is one of their key features. Combined with other investment products, our plans can be an important part of an overall retirement strategy.
Does your employer offer EQUI-VEST® or Retirement Gateway® variable annuities as part of their plan?
Are you an employer looking for a plan for your company or organization?
Learn about our employer offering here
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Variable Annuities
Investment Edge℠
Defers current taxes when you're trying to accumulate assets and provides tax-efficient distributions, adding powerful tax advantages to your diversified portfolio.
BENEFITS
DiversificationTax-efficient
Tax deferral
Variable Annuities
Retirement Cornerstone®
A single tax-deferred product comprised of two accounts with distinct features that help you address different goals - offering the ability to not only accumulate, but also through an optional living benefit rider available for an additional fee, protect your retirement income.
BENEFITS
DiversificationIncome protection
Tax deferral
Variable Annuities
Structured Capital Strategies®
A variable and index-linked deferred annuity contract, it contains several investment options, some of which allow you to participate in the upside potential of indices that track certain domestic, international and commodities markets up to a cap, which have a built-in partial protection feature. Investors are protected from some downside risk, however there is a risk of substantial loss of principal because you agree to absorb all losses in excess of the partial cap.
BENEFITS
Upside potentialPartial protection
Tax deferral
Variable Annuities
The Accumulator® Series
A long-term retirement product that allows you the ability to invest for growth potential on a tax-deferred basis. Also provides for guaranteed benefits through optional riders available for an additional fee.
BENEFITS
Investment optionsLifetime income
Death benefit
Individual Retirement Accounts
Traditional, Roth and SEP IRAs as well as Coverdell Savings Accounts
Work with AXA Advisors' financial professionals to realize immediate tax benefits that can lower your taxable income and enable assets you set aside for retirement or education funding to accumulate without immediate taxation.
BENEFITS
Range of productsAXA Advisors' experience
Tax deferral
Retirement Plans
EQUI-VEST®
EQUI-VEST® is a cost-effective variable deferred annuity contract that offers you a convenient way to contribute to and invest for retirement.
BENEFITS
DiversificationGrowth potential
Plan for retirement
Retirement Plans
Retirement Gateway
The Retirement Gateway® group variable annuity is designed to offer you an opportunity to save toward retirement with investment options managed by leaders in the fund industry, the ability to turn retirement savings into a payment stream, and more.
BENEFITS
DiversificationEducational materials for participants
Lifetime income
Variable Annuities
Variable annuities provide the opportunity for market appreciation — through a variety of investment options — with tax-deferred accumulation and future income. Variable annuities are designed for people willing to take more risk with their money in exchange for greater growth potential.
While there is more risk associated with a variable annuity, many variable annuities offer guarantees of principal and downside protection at an additional cost (depending on contract rider availability). However, these guarantees do not apply to the investment performance or safety of amounts held in the variable investment options.
Investment Edge℠
Defers current taxes when you're trying to accumulate assets and provides tax-efficient distributions, adding powerful tax advantages to your diversified portfolio.
BENEFITS
DiversificationTax-efficient
Tax deferral
Retirement Cornerstone®
A single tax-deferred product comprised of two accounts with distinct features that help you address different goals - offering the ability to not only accumulate, but also through an optional living benefit rider available for an additional fee, protect your retirement income.
BENEFITS
DiversificationIncome protection
Tax deferral
Structured Capital Strategies®
A variable and index-linked deferred annuity contract, it contains several investment options, some of which allow you to participate in the upside potential of indices that track certain domestic, international and commodities markets up to a cap, which have a built-in partial protection feature. Investors are protected from some downside risk, however there is a risk of substantial loss of principal because you agree to absorb all losses in excess of the partial cap.
BENEFITS
Upside potentialPartial protection
Tax deferral
The Accumulator® Series
A long-term retirement product that allows you the ability to invest for growth potential on a tax-deferred basis. Also provides for guaranteed benefits through optional riders available for an additional fee.
BENEFITS
Investment optionsLifetime income
Death benefit
Traditional, Roth and SEP IRAs as well as Coverdell Savings Accounts
Work with AXA Advisors' financial professionals to realize immediate tax benefits that can lower your taxable income and enable assets you set aside for retirement or education funding to accumulate without immediate taxation.
BENEFITS
Range of productsAXA Advisors' experience
Tax deferral
EQUI-VEST®
EQUI-VEST® is a cost-effective variable deferred annuity contract that offers you a convenient way to contribute to and invest for retirement.
BENEFITS
DiversificationGrowth potential
Plan for retirement
Retirement Gateway
The Retirement Gateway® group variable annuity is designed to offer you an opportunity to save toward retirement with investment options managed by leaders in the fund industry, the ability to turn retirement savings into a payment stream, and more.
BENEFITS
DiversificationEducational materials for participants
Lifetime income
Guarantees are based on the claims-paying ability of AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company.
This page is not a complete description of any product. Certain types of contracts, features and benefits may not be available in all jurisdictions or may be different.
An annuity contact that is purchased to fund an employer-sponsored plan should be done so for the annuity's features and benefits other than tax deferral. For such cases, tax deferral is not an additional benefit for the annuity. You may also want to consider the relative features, benefits, and costs of this annuity with any other investment that you may have in connection with your retirement plan or arrangement.
Annuities are issued by AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (NY, NY). Variable annuities are co-distributed by affiliates AXA Distributors, LLC and AXA Advisors, LLC, members FINRA, SIPC.
GE 92401 (08/2016)
