Sadly, there are many people feeling ill this Christmas time. The NHS is feeling the strain, as usual. Mind you, they do do a fine job generally.

But what if that illness is more severe? How does that effect your retirement plans? Well, if you have or have had an illness, which may or may not be serious, the chances are you might qualify for a higher retirement income.

How, you ask yourself. Well, because of the impact of enhanced annuity rates available via annuities known as enhanced annuities or impaired life annuities. Basically, the more serious the medical condition, the higher the annuity rate.

How come, you might wonder. The answer is that the annuity provider reckons on you not living so long because of your medical condition. They can therefore pay you more for the shorter time they calculate you will live in retirement. Simple!

If you think you might qualify for enhanced annuity rates, check it out. It could really be worth your while.

Okay, so it’s bad for you, but smoking can lead to better annuity rates for your retirement income. Indeed, some smoke cigars at this time of year. However, not everyone has a simple view on this.

Some people are wondering; they don’t like the idea of being penalised at retirement for being a non-smoker, and are thinking about how long before they take a pension annuity do they have to start smoking to get the enhanced annuity rates?

There are rules: you will need to have smoked an average of 10 cigarettes a day over the previous 10 years. Therefore, taking up smoking the day before you retire will neither benefit your annuity rate nor your state of health.

Enhanced annuities are available to those with a combination of health conditions such as being slightly overweight, having raised blood pressure along with raised cholesterol, so this approach may work to boost retirement income for many people wanting to purchase a fixed stream of income.

If you are fortunate enough to be in a really healthy condition then simply by using the open market option (OMO) - gaining the most best annuity rates through shopping around rather than accepting what your pension company has to offer - can often result in considerable gains being achieved.

Get the best deal you can, whether you smoke or not.

Now that we have expanded both the information and range of services available via this website we need to know if it is right for you.

Is it better that we offer you more than just the chance to buy a pension annuity? Do you want to receive full advice? Might you be of a mind that face to face advice is right for this important time in your life? Is the website easy to use, or too complicated?

Whatever your views, let us know. Send an e-mail to enquiries@rightannuity.co.uk . Maybe we are missing something. If so, what?

We want to ensure that you, the customer, has in front of them what they need, and what you see with this improved website is just the start.

Perhaps better put: do you, or have you in the past, suffered from ill health? If the answer is ‘yes’ there is every chance you will qualify for a higher annuity income. Increased annuity rates will apply and these could be anything from 10% to, well, who knows. If you are really ill the increase you receive could be very substantial.

The type of annuity you will be eligible for will be an enhanced annuity or an impaired life annuity, and you will need to put in a little more effort to get one. Be prepared to provide details of your condition, and any medication you are on, i.e. more paperwork. It is worth it, perhaps a few hundred pounds or a few thousand pounds more per year in your retirement ‘pay packet’.

Not enough people end up with these types of annuities, even though they are eligible. Make sure you don’t lose out.

Exweb, an online service provider, has expanded its’ pension annuity service with ‘to age’ rates. The company behind it, 1st-The Exchange, has unveiled real-time fixed term or ‘to age’ rates on its existing annuity online comparison system on Exweb. They claim the tool, available to subscribers at no extra cost, will offer access the widest range of annuity product types.

As well as traditional lifetime annuities, the service will help advisers to research other retirement options and access client specific fixed term quotes. Living Time is the first of the providers to launch its product on the service.

Advisers can access real-time and indicative annuity rates, standard, smoker and enhanced annuities, comparative results, and client illustrations, and they can store and retrieve quotes. 

The Exweb pension annuity service promotes utilisation of open market options, encouraging full assessment of all retirement options available. It covers a range of providers and can be accessed by advisers on a ‘pay as you go’ or on a monthly subscription basis.