Presented by David Corwin   One of the least thought about benefits of providing annuities to your clients is that the annuitant can, in most cases, have complete control over how their beneficiaries will gain access to the money at the client’s death.  When presenting an annuity contract, don’t forget to share this important aspect with your client or potential client.  It doesn’t take the place of a trust or will, but for a lot of people it would serve a very valuable purpose.  While your client may be looking at purchasing an annuity contract for retirement purposes, they may also be concerned that one of their beneficiaries (often a child) isn’t financially responsible enough to appropriately handle a lump sum payout.  In many cases it seems the client just names a beneficiary and the contract is issued; however, it should be presented to the client that they can pre-select alternate payout options when the contract is written.  For example, they could choose a ‘life payout with 15 years certain’.  In this scenario, if the client passes away, the beneficiary would receive the remaining number of years left in annual installments, rather than in a lump sum. Just another aspect of annuity contracts that many advisors may fail to mention.