The Annuities Guide Free PDF or printed MSE guide

This is a full 30-page printed and PDF guide on how to get the very best MoneySaving retirement income - called an annuity - possible. It's crucially important for anyone at or nearing retirement to sort this correctly to gain possibly £1,000s a year. As with everything else on MoneySavingExpert.com, it's completely free and available to all.

If you’ve ordered the printed version, please bear with us while the newly-updated guide is being printed. You should receive your copy of the guide through the post within two weeks.

Who's the guide for?

Buying an annuity is life's most important single financial decision. Most people who save into any type of private pension will have to do this, so if that's you, read this free guide.

An annuity is a contract guaranteeing you an annual payment each year until you die. However, you can't change your mind once it's done, so get it wrong and you will lose out year after year.

This is a major decision that needs real thought, so this full guide takes you through how to boost what you get, getting advice, alternatives to annuities, other types of pensions, benefits and more.

There's only a limited supply of printed copies, so please download the PDF version if you're able to.

Annuity Mantras printout

If you're already on this page, the hard work is done. Yet nearly two-thirds of people who get an annuity throw £1,000s away by simply plumping for their pension provider's deal.

Our Annuity Mantras poster takes 30 seconds to read but could net you £10,000. It covers never just opting for your pension provider's annuity, plus having a medical check-up even if you don't feel ill, as you may be entitled to an 'enhanced annuity' that adds serious cash.

If you know someone who it could assist, please help them out. Print it and give it to them, or even pin it on office noticeboards.

Click here to view the Annuity Mantras printout in Adobe Acrobat

WARNING! Never accept first deals

A shocking 66% of people just stick with their pension company's deal; yet you've a legal right to go elsewhere.

Need proof of the massive gains possible? Here's an example of the extra cash on offer...

What's in the guide?

If you want a sneak peek before getting the whole thing, here's a quick breakdown and intro for each section of the guide...

The big message:

You do not need to buy an annuity from your pension provider.
The law says there's an 'open market option', which means you can look for the best deal around.
This could increase your yearly income by £100s.

• CHAPTER 1 - What happens to a pension at retirement?

  Most of us have paid into a private pension, whether a company or personal scheme, at some point during our lifetime. You may even have several pensions. This money has been put aside to help provide an income over perhaps 30 years in retirement, more than half your working life.

• CHAPTER 2 - Types of annuities

  There are a whole range of annuities you can buy. Once you've bought an annuity, you usually can't change your mind afterwards. So make sure you find the right one for you.

  The two annuity types: Conventional or investment-linked
  Bells and whistles
  The third way - variable annuities
  Alternatives to annuities
  Fixed-term annuities

• CHAPTER 3 - How to ensure you get the best rate

  OK, so you've got an idea of the type of annuities that are available. Yet at this point, you still may be unable to decide which one is right for you.
  
  It's also crucial to remember annuity rates change daily. There's no standard pricing, so if you're going to compare, you need to ensure it's fair and things haven't changed.

• CHAPTER 4 - Other retirement income

  Look at all your other potential sources of income, such as the state pension, savings, investments, insurance policies and benefits that could be used to boost your income.

  
  

How come it's free?

The guide is sponsored by retirement adviser Annuity Direct, but don't worry, it's had nothing to do with the content. That purely depends on our view of the best way to save money while buying your annuity, and the sponsor's view on that is irrelevant. The guide is written with complete editorial independence and purely focused on finding you the best deal, and this is enshrined in the contract.

Having said that, Annuity Direct isn't stupid. We always trumpet on about how getting independent financial advice is important for most people when getting an annuity, and Annuity Direct is one of the biggest specialist advice companies.

It sponsors the guide because it gets a one-time chance to include its own letter promoting its service when it mails out the guide. Just to assure you, you won't be sent any follow-up advertising, marketing or any of that malarkey.

In the trade this is known as a payment for ‘lead generation' and in this case that means Annuity Direct pays for the publishing, printing, posting and a fee to help this site.

See more about this site's ethical financial stance.

Are there any more guides?

Yep! As well as all the online guides on this site, we've a selection of special PDF downloads:

	The Remortgage and Mortgage Guides These guides are for people either looking to get a cheap remortgage deal, or take out a mortgage for the first time. Full PDF / Printed guides: Remortgage Guide, Mortgage Guide.
	Teen Cash Class A 40 page guide to teach kids AND parents all the essential money lessons. Full PDF / Printed guide: Teen Cash Class
	Child Trust Funds What they are, how they work, and whether to use them. Get Full PDF Guide: Child Trust Funds

There's only a limited supply of the printed copies so please download the PDF version if you're able to.

If you’ve ordered the printed version, please bear with us while the newly-updated guide is being printed. You should receive your copy of the guide through the post within two weeks.