mactuary wrote:
My point was that at the time of initial disbursement, the two are actuarially equivilent - if you think that you can invest it better than the interest rate used for the calc, take the lump sum - tax implications come into play as well, but the lump sum is calculated as the present value of the annuity.
you make good sense. i'm inclined to think you are right on the money on this one. and given that, i'd say unless you are very pessimistic about the future world economy, you will probably be better off with the money in your own hands - assuming you are either of reasonable intelligence or that you will let someone who is handle your investment decisions.