It depends on your goal, for total return, you may want to look at bonds in certain categories, such as high yield, agency, emerging markets, etc. For immediate income stream, you may want to consider single premium annuities with inflation adjustment.

Depends, on how/what the annuity is invested in.

Also, what about the bonds - short term, medium term, long term, govt bonds, corporate bonds, junk bonds, and on & on.

I'd only invest in an annuity if I was retired. And maybe not even then. They tend to be high expense & low return. Salesmen, financial advisers tend to like them. They make the seller a nice commission.