# Annuities for Lives ## Definition Financial instruments that provide regular payments for the duration of specified individuals' lives, commonly used by governments to borrow money by selling the right to receive annual payments while the annuitant lives. ## Source Chapter Book V, Chapter 3 ## Context Smith examines annuities for lives as one method of government borrowing, noting their popularity in France and explaining why they are less attractive to English merchants who prefer perpetual annuities. ## Economic Domain Regulation ---