No, not necessarily forever, but this is one of the sticky questions that each person must answer themselves. If today you can receive $500 a month from your life annuity, should you instead wait for a year if you can then get $525? If you wait you will lose $500 x 12 months. Then you will make up the loss at the rate of $25 a month and be even after 20 years of life annuity payments. You decide if you will live another 20 years.