A money-purchase retirement savings plan that is set up by an employer. The 401(a) plan allows for contributions by the employee, the employer, or both…

A qualified plan established by employers to which eligible employees may make salary deferral (salary reduction) contributions on a post-tax and/or pretax…

A 403(b) plan, also known as a tax-sheltered annuity (TSA) plan, is a retirement plan for certain employees of public schools, employees of certain tax-exempt…

A plan set up by an employer to help employees fund their retirement. The 408(k) plan is a simplified version of the popular 401(k) plan but is intended…

A defined-benefit pension plan designed for small business owners in the United States. This is a tax-qualified benefit plan, so any amount that the owner…

A type of employer-sponsored employee welfare benefit plan. 419(e) welfare benefit plans qualify under paragraph (e) of Section 419 of the Internal Revenue…

A non-qualified, deferred compensation plan established by state and local governments and tax-exempt governments and tax-exempt employers. Eligible employees…

A plan that allows for the prepayment of qualified higher education expenses at eligible educational institutions. Also known as a "qualified tuition…

1. A period of time when an annuity investor is in the early stages of building up the cash value of the annuity. This is followed by the annuitization…

1) In the case of a variable annuity, a measurement of the value invested in the account during the accumulation period of the contract. The more funds…

Active-participant status is a reference to an individual's participation in an employer sponsored retirement plan. The plans which qualify include: 1…

A provision in a life insurance policy that allows the policy to be changed in one or more ways. This may involve increases or decreases to either the…

A bond that is posted on behalf of an administrator of an estate to assure that he or she conducts their duties according to the provisions of the will…

A document expressing a person's wishes about critical care when he or she is unable to decide for him or herself. However, it does not authorize anyone…

A benefit that federal government employees receive for participating in the thrift savings plan. More specifically, this benefit refers to how the government…

A benefit that federal government employees receive under the thrift savings plan. More specifically, this refers to how the agency for which the individual…

A type of payment that comes from a defined-benefit retirement plan. Allocated benefits are passed on (allocated) to the plan participants once the insurance…

The procedure that occurs upon the termination of any kind of pension plan. The allocation of plan assets on termination can occur in one of two ways…

A type of private insurer that offers various types of coverage to both individuals and institutions. These insurers were originally created by groups…

1. A person who receives the benefits of an annuity or pension.2. The person upon whom a life-insurance contract is based. 1. In other words, the annuitant…

The process of converting an annuity investment into a series of periodic income payments. Annuities may be annuitized regularly, over a long or short…

A type of annuity distribution structure that gives the annuitant periodic income payments for the rest of his or her life, or a specified period of time…

The period when the annuitant starts to receive payments from the annuity. This period is after the accumulation phase where money is invested into the…

The written agreement between an insurance company and a customer outlining each party's obligations in an annuity coverage agreement. This document will…

A calculation method to determine the amount of eligible withdrawals that an investor can make from their IRA without incurring penalties. The calculation…

An investment strategy for retirees or near-retirees that entails the purchase of immediate annuities over a period of years to provide guaranteed income…

An accumulation unit for which the annuitant has annuitized their contract. This is a sub-account of the retiree's total accumulated annuity. These units…

A savings account that earns tax deductible interest for medical expenses. Archer MSAs are often used by small business or self-employed individuals as…

The rate of interest, or growth rate, selected by an insurance company. The assumed interest rate is provided to determine the value of an annuity contract…

A person who is authorized to perform business-related transactions on behalf of someone else (the principal). In order to become someone's attorney in…

A rollover of a participant's qualified-plan balance to an IRA without the participant's authorization. This usually occurs for involuntary cash-outs…

A type of personal savings system in which the plan contributor automatically deposits a fixed amount of funds at specified intervals into their investment…

A type of Individual Retirement Account (IRA) allowed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) in which contributions are paid into…

A person or entity named in a will or a financial contract as the inheritor of property when the property owner dies. A beneficiary can be a spouse…

A reduction in the amount of benefit payments received by a member of a retirement plan which may result when the member owes money to the plan.A benefit…

1. A term that refers to a temporary period in which access is limited or denied.2. A period of around 60 days during which employees of a company with…

An American slang term that refers to an adult who has moved back in with his or her parents (who are part of the baby boomer generation) instead of living…

The ability to direct trading within a brokerage's offering through a retirement plan such as a 401(k). As opposed to being limited to the investment…

An employee benefit plan that allows staff to choose from a variety of benefits to formulate a plan that best suits their needs. Cafeteria plan options…

One of three levels of Canada's retirement income system, which is responsible for paying retirement or disability benefits. The Canada Pension Plan was…

The specific taxes assessed on investment capital gains as determined by the U.S. Tax Code. When a stock is sold for a profit, the portion of the proceeds…

An asset allocation strategy that seeks to maximize capital appreciation, or the increase in value of a portfolio or asset over the long term. Portfolios…

A method for determining the tax basis of an asset when it is transferred from one individual to another. Carryover basis is often used when property…

A pension plan under which an employer credits a participant's account with a set percentage of his or her yearly compensation plus interest charges…

A type of fund, commonly found in Australia, that is formulated for conservative investors seeking preservation of capital and reasonable investment returns…

A type of retirement savings contribution that allows people over 50 to make additional contributions to their 401(k) and/or individual retirement accounts…

A mandatory benefit account set up to provide Singaporeans with a healthy retirement plan. The Central Provident Fund (CPF) was first introduced in 1948…

A certification indicating knowledge in key issues facing aging members of the population (individuals in their 50s, 60s and 70s) including Social Security…

A trust designed to reduce beneficiaries' taxable income by first donating a portion of the trust's income to charities and then, after a specified period…

A tax-exempt irrevocable trust designed to reduce the taxable income of individuals by first dispersing income to the beneficiaries of the trust for a…