Just think if you had some cash hoarded at home. What would happen? You and I know very well that soon enough all this pretty cash would dwindle and we would be left with nothing. This is what retirement annuities take care of. You make your lump sum payment to an insurance company, and then they pay out in either fixed or variable terms over a period of years. The increasing market value is also added up, making retirement annuities a sort of investment. This is a very good option for people to secure their years after retirement.