London, UK -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/19/2011 -- Compare-annuity.com, an independent Website focused on financial education for UK consumers, continues to encourage pre-retirees to shop around for the best annuity provider. As a destination for impartial information, the Website offers free no-obligation access to financial experts who can advise consumers on annuities and a wealth of personal or business related financial matters.

An annuity is, in general, a type of insurance policy to fund retirement. Unfortunately, maximising income in retirement can be a complex area where the differences in annuity performance can be vast. According to Reuters, 65 percent of people in today’s market purchase annuities from their pension provider.

However, the FSA estimates that consumers could gain as much as 35 percent by shopping around for the best annuity with help from a financial adviser specialist. Obtaining impartial information on annuities as well as impartial advice has been a continuing conundrum for near retirees who are often overwhelmed by the process and the search. “Our goal was to create a completely free Website that can provide easy and quick access to the whole UK annuities market where consumers can get expert and compare annuities quotes to maximize their retirement income,” said a Compare-Annuity.com representative.

While most consumers choose a lifetime annuity, there are several options to pick from. For instance, Level Annuities provide stable income regardless of inflation while Increasing Annuities either match inflation for the life of the policy holder or rise by a specific percentage each year. Other options such as Guaranteed Annuities will continue to pay out for a time to a nominated individual if the policy holder dies soon after retirement while a Joint-life Annuity gives the consumer’s partner some or all of their continuing income if they outlive the policy holder.

Finally, investment-linked annuities are often the route chosen by those with larger pension funds. They may choose to invest it in the stock market, which could propel the annual income up or down depending on market performance.

These and other annuity decisions require expert help and Compare-Annuity.com puts consumers in touch with an Independent Financial Advisor specialist who can research the market to find them the best quote. “A person’s level of comfort in retirement literally rides on the choice of annuity, so having help from an independent advisor gives the consumer impartial and objective advice that they can count on,” said the Website’s representative.

For more information on choosing annuities, how they work and to complete the online form for a free no obligation quote or advice from an independent expert on annuity policies, please visit http://www.compare-annuity.com