Glossary

A deferred annuity is any annuity contract in which income payments commence at a future date rather than at issue, encompassing fixed deferred annuities, multi-year guaranteed annuities, fixed indexed annuities, deferred variable annuities, registered index-linked annuities, and deferred income annuities. Why it matters The deferred annuity is a temporal classification, not a structural one. The category includes products with very different claim profiles — pure accumulation arr

A deferred fixed annuity is a fixed annuity contract structured with an accumulation phase during which the contract value grows at a declared crediting rate set by the carrier, followed by an optional distribution phase in which the contract value can be annuitized into income, surrendered, or held under the contract's terms. Why it matters Deferred fixed annuities are the deferred analogue to immediate fixed annuities and are among the most commonly purchased fixed-income-style

A deferred income annuity (DIA) is a lifetime income arrangement in which the contract owner pays a premium to an insurer in exchange for a stream of periodic income payments that begin at a specified future date — typically several years after purchase — and continue for the lifetime of the contract owner or another specified payout structure. Why it matters The DIA introduces deferral as a structural feature of a lifetime income claim. Because income does not commence at purchas