<<I always thought if your were offered a choice... a lump sum would be better because you got all the money up front. In the event you pass away the next day your spouse or kids would get the remaining balance.
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I seem to recall that pension plans are constrained to offer equal pension payouts regardless of sex. That discriminates against men who live significantly fewer years statistically, and gives unearned benefits to women.

If a pension plan has equal payouts, that suggests that you should take the annuity of you are female and the lump sum if a male.



Seattle Pioneer