Income Comparison Calculator

OwnYourPension

Invest it, or insure it? Compare the income.

Two ways to turn the same money into a retirement paycheck. Put your own numbers in both columns — including the income figure from a real annuity illustration — and see the difference, along with what each side gives up.

“OwnYourPension” is an educational brand name — not a pension provider. Annuities are insurance products, not employer or government pensions, and are not insured by the PBGC, the FDIC, or any government agency. Guarantees depend solely on the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.

Invest it

Grow the money, then draw a percentage each year.

Amount you would investToday’s dollars. Years before income starts0 if you need income now. Annual rate of returnYour assumption, not a promise. Withdrawal rate once income starts4% is the common rule of thumb.

Value when income starts

—

Annual income

—

Insure it

Commit a premium for contractual lifetime income. Take the income figure from an actual illustration — we do not quote rates here.

Premium you would commitPart of the same total. Whatever you don’t commit stays invested. Years before income startsDeferral raises the income. Annual income from the illustrationThe guaranteed figure the carrier shows. Years you expect the income to be paidLifetime income has no end date; 30 is a planning stand-in.

Income per $100,000 committed

—

The rest, invested the same way as the left side

—

Total annual income, same starting money

—

Difference in first-year income

—

See the full comparison

Enter your email to unlock the side-by-side detail, including what each option leaves behind, and we will send you a copy.

Educational comparison, not advice or a quote. No spam — unsubscribe anytime.

What investing gives up

No guarantee. The income depends on returns you do not control.
The withdrawal rate is a rule of thumb, not a promise; a bad first decade can force a cut.
You carry the risk of living a very long time.

What the annuity gives up

Access. The premium is committed, and surrender charges may apply for years.
Legacy. Depending on the option chosen, payments may stop at death.
Upside. A strong market run belongs to the insurer, not to you.
Guarantees rest entirely on the issuing insurer's claims-paying ability.

Want both columns filled in with real numbers?

No pressure and no obligation. A OwnYourPension specialist will pull a current illustration for your age and state, and will say plainly when investing the money is the better answer.

Thanks — a specialist will reach out shortly.

About this comparison. Educational only, not advice, not a recommendation, and not a quote. We do not supply the annuity income figure — you enter it from an actual carrier illustration, and real income depends on your age, sex, state, the product, the options you select and rates on the day you buy. The investment column is an assumption you choose, compounded at a steady rate; real markets do not work that way, and the order of returns matters once withdrawals begin. Figures ignore taxes and any product fees, and comparing a lifetime income stream with a withdrawal from a portfolio is not an apples-to-apples comparison: one is contractual and one is not, and only one leaves a remaining balance. Guarantees depend solely on the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. OwnYourPension is an educational resource, not an insurance company; annuities are offered through licensed insurance agencies we work with, who are compensated by commission. OwnYourPension is affiliated with T&T Capital Management LLC, a registered investment adviser and fiduciary that charges a fee for advisory services; which entity serves you, and how it is compensated, is disclosed before you purchase.